The Angel Wars
by BeastLord Zwieg
Summary: Book 1 of my NGE: The Magic Files series. After his abandonment, Shinji is offered a chance to learn at a magical academy. There he learns the ins and outs of the supernatural arts. What will happen when Gendo calls for him again? Rating for laters chaps.
1. New Life! The Ru Jukas Academy

**Disclaimer: Gainax owns Evangelion, not me. I only own the characters in here that aren't found in Eva canon unless otherwise noted. Keep your lawyers at home or they'll eat lead real fast.**

_**Author's Notes**_

**1) This is my first fic, so try to give me some constructive criticism on my writing. I want to get better and hopefully give you guys a great series. My beta reader is known on this site as Ama no Murakumo, and he also wrote a couple fanfics for Evangelion. Unfortunately, he got into a car accident some time ago and might not be able to update for quite some time due to being in the hospital. In case he can't make it back to the keyboard, he's given permission for me to adopt a couple of his fics to get them back on track if this story does well.**

**2) There is a special treat waiting for everyone at the end of this first chapter. I got the idea from several other fics I read, so keep reading to find out what it is.**

**3) If anybody has any ideas on how I can improve the story, feel free to shoot em at me.**

**4) For all you Gendo-haters out there, I will be bashing the bearded bastard every chance I can possibly get. Normally I would be all for bashing Asuka as well, cause she drives me nuts, but I will try to curb my impulses for all but maybe her introduction chapter for the sake of all the Asuka-lovers out there.**

**5) The first chapter will deal with Shinji's life before NERV, and will probably go by rather fast so we can get Shinji back in Tokyo-3 for the main story to start, so don't expect any Angel fighting until Chapter 2. I'm still trying to get the major plot points better organized to be frank.**

**6) You guys may recognize quite a few elements taken from many different anime, games, and books, but the elements are the only things taken. I will only use Original and Evangelion characters in this fic, unless asked to do so otherwise and I'm hit by some inspiration that can make it work.**

**That takes care of all the major keynotes I wanted to touch on, so let's get right into this thing.**

* * *

NGE Magic Files, Book 1: The Angel Wars  
By BeastLord Zwieg

Chapter 1: New Life! The Ru-Jukas Academy

The Tokyo-3 train station was normally a quiet place. Many homeless often made it their home for the night due to the obscenely low levels of human traffic that went through it. After Second Impact, not many people bothered to use the trains unless they were visiting family in another town. Today, however, was different as a little boy sat on the stairway leading up to the station crying his eyes out. Standing before him stood a tall, grim-faced man surrounded by a group of men who looked ridiculously like Secret Service agents, black shades and all.

"Daddy, why are you leaving me?" the boy asked, tears falling down his face as he glanced up at the man in question.

His face didn't budge an inch from it's stony appearance. "Because I no longer have a use for you Shinji. Your uncle will be here to pick you up soon, so do not try to follow me," the man, known as Gendo Ikari, replied coldly.

Having given the boy his instructions, Gendo turned around and walked to a black sedan that was waiting for him. Shinji could only sit there, too stunned to move or speak, as his father walked out of his life for what seemed to be forever.

Watching the car drive away, Shinji sniffled again and looked around. He hoped his uncle would be here soon. He didn't like being alone in a strange place. Little did the young Ikari know that he was being watched. Smiling softly, a figure stepped out of the shadows. "Hello there young man."

Shinji yelped and swiveled around, coming face to face with an middle-aged man, wearing rather strange clothes. He wore a typical white dress shirt and black slacks, but that was were the normality ended. Over the shirt he wore what looked like a leather vest and a long flowing cloak of scarlet red. On his feet were thick boots and in his hand was a long wooden staff, easily taller than his 5'8" frame. Finally, a pendant containing a large white stone dangled from around his neck. His hair was starting to gray and fade, but his tanned face held a kind look despite his interesting appearance. The youngest Ikari didn't know why, but he felt he could trust this man.

"Excuse me sir, but who are you?" Shinji asked.

The man chuckled and bowed formally. "My name is Renaldo Garrett, teacher at the Ru-Jukas Academy. It's a school of paranormal studies for gifted children from all over the world who begin their education at the age of four or five. I have come with a special invitation for you to join the academy and learn there, as the new school term begins today," Renaldo answered. Shinji's eyes widened at the offer, but then he looked at the man suspiciously.

"What do you mean paranormal studies?" he said, gauging the older man's response. So far, he talked about everything as if it were normal conversation, which meant one of two things to Shinji's simple mind: either the old geezer was off his rocker, or he was actually telling the truth.

"While the academy also teaches normal classes such as history, literature, and the sciences, your main education will be in the skills of magic, alchemy, spirit exorcism, the mind arts, and weapons combat."

Shinji nodded. He was only four years old, but being the son of Gendo Ikari gave him a sixth sense for detecting lies. And right now, what he was hearing seemed like nothing but fact.

"Could I get a demonstration, Garrett-san? If you can prove that this magic exists, then I will gladly accept your invitation." Shinji was fairly convinced, but a demonstration was the only way he would actually accept Renaldo's offer. Just cause he was a kid didn't mean he couldn't be cautious.

The older man smiled. "Certainly," he replied, thrusting his hand out at a tree and concentrating. Shinji gawked as a small red orb of energy appeared in Renaldo's hand before shooting off like a bottle rocket, impacting against a large tree and blasting it into fiery splinters.

The boy blinked twice, pinching himself to make sure he didn't imagine it before turning back to the teacher. "You've got yourself a deal. I wanna learn how to do that!" With that, the two shook hands as Shinji's uncle finally decided to appear.

Renaldo noticed this and smirked. Waving a hand lazily at the bespectacled man, he walked over and whispered something Shinji couldn't hear into his ear. After a minute, Shinji's uncle nodded and walked away, appearing to be in a daze of some sorts. Shinji watched curiously and looked up. "What exactly did you do?" he asked.

"A little memory modification. He'll go through the years thinking that you're living with him and if your father asks for reports on you, he's been programmed to give the bearded fool exactly what he expects. I saw the whole exchange with your father, and I don't trust that man one iota. He'll probably try to force you back for his own gains in the future, but you should be ready for him by the time you graduate in ten years."

Seeing Shinji's nod, Renaldo placed a hand on his shoulder and chuckled. "Don't get too excited about the whole memory altering thing yet though. It usually takes people decades before they can truly master that particular skill. I've never seen a student at the academy that could do even basic memory mod spells by the time they graduate. Now then, we're going to teleport to the school so don't get shocked at finding yourself somewhere else. And don't worry about knowing any other languages, as the area has translation spells around it to make sure everyone can understand everyone else." With that said, Renaldo tapped his staff on the ground twice before the pair vanished in a flash of light.

**(Somewhere in the Pyrenees Mountains)  
**Renaldo smiled as he watched Shinji walking around and observing the sights. He remembered his own youth when he had first come to the academy years ago. Snapping his fingers he called Shinji back over and, pointing to a trail winding up the mountains towards a large castle, they set off.

On the way, Renaldo explained to Shinji how magic and other supernatural forces in the body worked. "Ok Shinji, when you think of your body, imagine it as being a building made up of three floors. The outer-most floor is your physical body which in and of itself has no special properties other then being a container and outlet for the other two floors. The middle floor, your spirit body, is directly connected to your physical body and generates what we call spirit energy to keep your organs and such operating. This energy also goes by other names such as chakra, ki, or bio-energy to name a few since it works your body's biological functions. Understand so far?"

Shinji nodded, prompting the teacher to continue. "The inner-most part of the body is what we call your mana, or magic, core. It contains all of your mana energy that is required for casting magical spells. Almost every single student that starts at the Academy has at least an average mana reserve for their age, though we occasionally get one that has a deficiency in it. These students usually become expert Alchemists, Potion Makers, or Combat Specialists. You actually have a slightly above-average mana level, and hopefully by the time you graduate it will become much larger and more powerful. Your spirit and mana energies are like muscles, in that you need to flex them to make them stronger. That's what we will push you in here along with teaching control: making your reserves much larger. I believe that takes care of the main basics on the subject. Your professors will go over things in more detail when you start studying."

"Also, I probably better tell you about the way a person's power is measured in our world. In paranormal terms, people are assigned a letter ranking based on their level of skill and the weighted strength of both their mana and spirit power, using the letters D, C, B, A, and S. Even further, the letters are divided into low, mid, and high levels. D-classes are the weakest of the bunch, and virtually every academy student starts out as lower D-class. An S-class warrior, the highest rank, hasn't been seen in centuries. The last recorded one was the legendary sorcerer Lae Marcus back in the early 1300s. I myself am considered a mid A-class sorcerer. Perhaps someday you'll be as powerful as me. Now then, let's just be quiet and enjoy the scenery on our way shall we?"

It was almost another hour before they reached the castle, and Shinji could see dozens of other children waiting as he walked up to them and gazed around shyly. Renaldo looked on as he made his way to the front of the group and next to a gaunt-faced, blonde haired younger man who wore a similar outfit to his own, only with a black cloak instead of red and in place of Renaldo's staff he carried a rapier at his side.

He clapped his hands, which gave off a massive sonic boom that turned every head towards his in an instant. "Well, now that I have your attention, I would personally like to welcome all of you to the Ru-Jukas Academy. I am Renaldo Garrett, the school's Advanced Sorcery Professor. Next to me is Professor Axel Reaves, our newest instructor who will hopefully be teaching you Strategy until you graduate." Turning, he gestured to the blonde who curtly nodded.

"For the next ten years, you will live here at the Academy even during the summer and winter breaks, when we normally have events like festivals or contests scheduled to keep you kids from becoming extremely bored. Now before we begin I will inform you that your studies here will not be alone. In order to teach teamwork and comradeship, you will all be grouped into three-person squads before we begin the opening feast. Your squad-mates will be like your brothers and/or sisters here. We have given thorough interviews to each of you to determine what kind of personalities you have, which has aided us in grouping you all into the perfect teams. Now then, let's head inside and get you kids sorted out and put into uniforms." Shinji blinked, remembering the personal questions Renaldo had asked him about halfway up the path to the castle as the massive doors opened and everyone filed inside.

Moving quickly through the halls, Shinji smiled at the many intriguing things he saw in the paintings on the walls. Vials bubbling with potions with a large cauldron in the middle, a warrior wielding a massive sword against a red-scaled dragon, and many other magical events dotted the images. Any doubts Shinji Ikari had about accepting Garrett's invitation to Ru-Jukas vanished in that hall.

Reaves opened a door on the left and pointed inside, instructing everyone to sit. As the brand new magic students took their seats, Renaldo came in with a notebook. "Alright everyone, quiet down. This notebook contains all of the teams, so we will go ahead and commence with the assignments. When I call your name, you and your squad will take the seats down here designated by your team name. First up is Unicorn Squad…"

As the older man read off the names, Shinji's mind wandered even as he kept one ear open for his own name. He wondered what his teammates would be like, and if they would get along. He figured that they would, since the interviews were apparently designed for forming cohesive squads. But still, Shinji wasn't the best at socializing and he was admittedly a little frightened at the thought of meeting complete strangers his own age. For some reason, he found it easier to talk to older people, though maybe his teammates would help him get over that.

"Next up, Phoenix Squad…Shinji Ikari." Hearing his name, Shinji's head perked up in anticipation as he stood in front of everyone.

"Orpheus Rainier Gundor." Looking around, Shinji saw a pale, rail-thin boy get up. His black hair was scruffy and looked like a bird's nest, and his eyes were a piercing violet. He wore a simple polo shirt and jeans, but everyone would be getting their uniforms after the assignments and after the first six years, everyone was allowed to wear whatever they felt comfortable in. The boy took his place next to Shinji and looked at him, smiling warmly. Shinji began to feel his worries vanish a little.

"And Nicole Agnes Hildebrandt." Shinji and Orpheus both glanced up as a slightly pale girl made her way down. Her light brown hair was cropped short and curled at the tips, and her playful olive-green eyes sparkled with something Shinji was sure amounted to mischief.

'_Interesting team…a short Japanese boy, a toothpick, and a trouble-maker,_' Shinji thought amusingly. He knew that his teammates were likely good people, but he felt that the names would keep him entertained for the first couple of days as he settled in. His thoughts were cut short as Renaldo called out for what appeared to be the last time.

"Finally we have Dragon Squad…Takumi Hirohino, Edge Sebastian Howard, and Sophia Aileen Zetos." Shinji watched as the last three students made their way down the stairs. Takumi was Japanese, like Shinji, with slicked-back dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. Edge looked European like Orpheus but was darker-skinned and had dirty blond hair braided into a ponytail with chestnut colored eyes. Sophia looked at Nicole and the rest of Phoenix Squad disdainfully through her powder-blue eyes, flipping her long black hair behind her in a huff. Shinji wasn't sure what they had done to deserve the girl's ire, but made it a point to try and avoid Dragon Squad like the plague. At least until he knew some spells anyway...

"Congratulations to all of you on your assignments. Now we will join the rest of the student body for the opening feast, and afterwards you and your teammates will be allowed the rest of the day to get to know each other better. And trust me, you better make use of it since classes start tomorrow. Good luck to each of you!" Renaldo finished as the newly christened squads began conversing among each other on the way to the feast.

**(Later that evening)  
**"So...I guess we're gonna be partners in crime for the next ten years," Orpheus said as Shinji sat down on a couch in the lounge area. Getting that map from Professor Rubald, who apparently taught Beginner's Combat, had been a godsend for the three. Otherwise they likely would've gotten lost in the expansive castle.

Shinji chuckled as Nicole eagerly bounced on the balls of her feet. "It appears so. We better get used to each other then, so why don't we talk about ourselves to learn about each other," he said.

"What should we talk about? I'm not usually good at this kind of thing," Orpheus replied. Nicole smiled and jumped onto the couch next to him, prompting a small blush from the black-haired boy.

"How about likes, dislikes, hobbies, and our dreams? That should be enough to start us off," she chirped. "I'll go ahead and go first so you guys know how it's done. I'm Nicole Hildebrandt, but you guys can call me Nikki and I'm from America. I have 2 younger brothers right now but my mom said she's expecting a girl to be born in about five months, so I'll finally have a sister too. I like to play, sing, dance, and tell jokes. What I don't like are jerks and being bored. My hobbies are learning different styles of dancing and wrestling around with the other kids from home. As for my dreams, I want to become a doctor and also meet a nice boy and have a big family someday like my grandma did." Her last comment elicited blushes from both boys that time.

Orpheus coughed lightly and leaned back. "I guess I'll go next. My name is Orpheus Gundor, but some people call me Orph for short, and I came here from a small village outside Bern, Switzerland. I like to read and play the ocarina my uncle hand-carved for me. I don't like bullies or cowards. My hobbies are gardening and exploring. They told me that because my mana core was severely underdeveloped at birth, I can't use mana energy at all like most other people. I hope to become a great alchemist though, even if I can't use mana." Shinji and Nikki both looked at him with a hint of admiration. Shinji suddenly remembered what Renaldo had said about people who couldn't use their mana energy.

Shinji smiled and shrugged his shoulders. "Looks like I'm last. I'm Shinji Ikari from Japan. I like thinking about any memories of my late mother Yui, and I hate my father Gendo for abandoning me after my mother's death. My hobbies are trying new things and reading a good book. My dreams? I want to become stronger and protect those I care about, especially from people like my father. I also wouldn't mind opening a restaurant someday, as that's what my mother wanted to do before she died."

Orpheus and Nikki smiled and the three shook hands, sealing their new-found friendship. The academy wouldn't know what hit it...

**(Ten Years Later)  
**"Damn you Ikari! You'll pay for this!" a voice bellowed as Shinji zipped through the halls towards his team's workshop laughing his ass off. In the ten years they had been studying at Ru-Jukas, Phoenix Squad had quickly become one of the most talked about topics ever within the castle walls. To their professors, they were model students, each picking up their own specialties and soaking up the knowledge in those areas like a small colony of sponges lived in their brains. To the other students, however, they were a total and absolute nightmare. Nikki had quite thoroughly corrupted her two friends and now together they were the worst group of practical jokers in the school's history. As it was, Dragon Squad from their year ended up being the target of their pranks more than 80 percent of the time. Less than a week after their first term had begun, Takumi had made the grave mistake of trying to pick on Shinji because of his size, which drew the combined wrath of Nikki and Orpheus. Combining ideas, the two had guarded Shinji's honor like a pack of rabid dogs and quickly retaliated at the constantly sneering Hirohino. The professors to this day still had no clue _how_ Takumi had ended up on the ceiling of the Main Hall in that traumatizing position, considering the ceiling was over 100 meters above the floor and the students hadn't yet learned levitation spells. Not only that, Takumi still couldn't look at a banana without running away in abject horror.

Shinji had asserted himself as the squad's sorcery and black magic expert, specializing in wind spells while his overall spell arsenal grew constantly. Even though still a student, he had become Renaldo's unofficial apprentice and was mastering new spells every several weeks. He also proved himself to be an adept wielder of twin daggers, using his small frame and speed to his advantage. Shinji was also born with a unique ability the professors called the Mana Well that allowed him to not only use less energy to cast his spells, he could cast them at an inhuman speed, making him one of the most dangerous fighters at Ru-Jukas. Unfortunately, he could only use the technique once every three days and it only lasted five minutes at the most. Finally, he was the team's runic carver, putting magical runes on every bit of equipment he and his friends used to increase their performance and durability. His biggest glaring weaknesses were his fear of water and his inability to grasp even the most basic concepts of alchemy, regardless of his talent for cooking, which shared some traits with the science.

Orpheus, however, proved to be a genius at alchemy, the science of altering and fusing items into different or more complex ones. Even though he enjoyed cooking as much as Shinji, Orph was the one better able to understand the ideas and chain them together in item synthesis. In addition, he had focused his entire training style mainly around increasing his spirit energy reserves. As a result, he was physically the strongest student at the academy, as he could pump large amounts of his spirit energy throughout his body to make himself absurdly powerful despite his body size and age. Like Shinji, he also had a strange special ability that made his fighting style even more dangerous when used: it was discovered halfway into Fourth Year that Orpheus was a Metallimancer, someone who could enhance his body's physical capabilities through the consumption of metals such as tin, iron, or zinc. The metals' effects tended to wear off fairly quickly, though, and using the skill could easily put a large drain on Orph's energy reserves if used too much in a short time frame. Finally, he had become skilled in the use of various styles of martial arts, and was capable of fighting off much more powerful fighters with only his fists and some alchemic equipment, which usually cosisted of assorted bombs (the boy, for some reason nobody could pin down, had an obsession with causing explosions, even generating them when his experiments didn't warrant one). His main weaknesses proved to be not only his inability to use magic, but the fact that he was absolutely terrified of heights.

Nikki was the team strategist, her skill at pulling pranks making itself manifest in her uncanny ability to analyze combat situations and think on the fly. While she had only an average level of mana, she proved to be quite capable in the white magic associated with healing and defensive spells, which normally required more control than raw power. Her special technique, Angelic Seal, was perfect for her casting of shield spells. The ability not only increased the power of her defensive magic, it caused most minor spells to be reflected back at the caster. Like Shinji, however, she could only use it once every three days for roughly five minutes. She was also a specialist in brewing potions and herbalism, adding credence to her status as the team medic. Her offensive skills were mainly focused on long-range, as she could throw her two bladed chakram with devastating accuracy. Her biggest weaknesses were her tendency to act rashly when excited and a fear of mice and poisonous animals, something the other students quickly learned not to take advantage of after Shinji and Orpheus had _dealt with_ the first moron who tried to slip a mouse down her uniform blouse.

All three of the teens were listed in the academy records as having mid C-class power rankings which, while not strong enough to outmuscle even the weakest professors in the school, were more than enough to trounce all but the other three squads still remaining from their year.

As it was, Phoenix Squad was virtually inseperable compared to other teams at Ru-Jukas and the professors knew better than to try and force them apart outside their dorms. Their teamwork skills were considered the best in the school as they learned to protect each other from attacks by the other students, usually attempted revenge for some odd prank they had pulled. One thing almost everybody was getting in on concerning them, however, was the betting pool that tried to pinpoint when Orpheus would finally ask Nikki out on a date. Shinji was the only one not holding a current bet, as he figured they wouldn't confess until next year at least and he didn't want to profit from his friends' love lives anyway. Ever since an incident involving Dragon Squad, a Griffin, and a rubber duck during Seventh Year, though, he knew that the two liked each other (he still couldn't believe what they had _done_ with that rubber duck...and he probably didn't wanna know where they got the idea from either).

Their wardrobes and appearances had also changed quite a bit once they were allowed to get out of the academy uniforms. Shinji had opted for a standard sorcerer's cloak in forest green and a silver-lined griffin hide vest over his normal attire of a black polo shirt, sweat pants, and running shoes. Underneath everything, he wore a skin tight bodysuit woven from magically enhanced unicorn hair and hydra scales for added protection. In addition, his hair had grown out a little bit, but only to the nape of his neck and 'it still looked like a neatly kept mop that lived on his head,' according to his friends. Finally, he wore a pure silver earring in his right ear. Silver was one of the most powerful magical amplifiers among metals and the earring gave Shinji a source of extra mana strength should he need to draw on it.

Orpheus had decided that after being teased for having what other students dubbed 'a fancy name,' then he may as well look the part. His new outfit consisted of a mithril chain mail bodysuit underneath a creme dress shirt, blue werewolf hide vest, and gray slacks, with a navy trench coat woven from elven silk over everything. The coat itself had a copy of the rune symbolizing 'fortune' stitched onto the shoulders and back. He also wore a platinum ring on his left index finger. While not a mana amplifier like silver, platinum was an excellent conductor of any kind of supernatural energy. With a couple defensive runes carved into it by Shinji, most minor attack spells simply ricocheted off of him on impact. Strapped around his chest was a military ammo belt that he had redesigned to hold a multitude of cylindrical vials, each one containing various combinations of metals soaked in a basic alcohol solution for his Metallimancer abilities. The biggest change was on his head, interestingly enough. He finally managed to straighten his hair out and had allowed it to grow to his shoulder blades, putting deep purple streaks in random places to match his eyes. Nikki loved the look, but many other students claimed he looked like a demented nobleman, the whole appearance made even more intimidating by his tall 5' 4" frame.

Nikki underwent a change almost as drastic as her crush's. Her hair had grown to roughly halfway between the middle of her back and the shoulders, though it still kept the light brown tone and curled tips. One source of constant embarrassment yet entertainment for the girl was the fact that her bust had become rather large for her age. At 14, she had what would be considered average C-cups, easily having the largest chest of any girl at the academy. It was embarrassing due to all the stares she got from the older students, male _and_ female, but she also found great pleasure in using her rack to tease Orpheus to no end. The boy had a nobility complex longer than the Great Wall, and always tried to avoid looking like a pervert, even if Nikki privately admitted that she enjoyed it when he _did _chance a glance at her. Her clothes had gone on a similar tangent to Orph's in being a tad formal. Her top was a loose fitting red blouse meant to cover her assets, though the neck was low enough that a generous amount of cleavage could be seen if looking down from a high vantage point. Below the waist, she wore a black pair of hip-hugging pants that she had sewed together herself using dragon skin leather. Finally, she wore a white cloak with black inner lining over the ensemble, signifying her status as a medical sorceress.

Back with Shinji, he ran into the workshop and slammed the door shut, still laughing loudly as Orpheus looked up from his cauldron. Sighing, the taller boy added more ingredients to the concoction and tapped his foot. "Ok Shin what did you do to Hirohino this time?" he asked exhasperated.

"What makes you think I did anything? He could just be blaming me for his own rotten luck," the Ikari boy replied, trying way too hard to look innocent.

Nikki looked up from her book and fixed Shinji with a blank stare. "Let's see...you came in here running while laughing like a maniac, you can't stand Tak almost as much as your old man, and let's face it...it just has to be you on principle cause you're Shinji Ikari."

Shinji chuckled and held up his hands in defeat. "Ok, so I may have charmed one of the suits of armor to dry hump him everytime he sees a girl. What's so bad about that?"

Orpheus snorted. "You did what?! I almost wanna go take pictures, if I wasn't certain that the view would mentally scar me for life," he said amusedly. Shinji was always unpredictable with his pranks. It was like a lottery drawing: you never knew just what he was gonna hit you with.

Shinji laughed again. "I just had to get him one more time before the graduation ceremony tonight. I couldn't help myself. Anyways, speaking of graduation, what exactly are you guys gonna do after we leave? I'll be heading back to Japan myself. Professor Garrett said he just got word of a letter from you-know-who demanding my presence in Tokyo-3." Orpheus took on a serious expression as he walked over to Shinji and laid a hand on his shoulder.

"Then I'm going with you. You're my brother in everything but blood Shin, and I really have nothing waiting for me back in Switzerland. Besides, the chance to help you get back at tall, bearded, and ugly should be fun."

Nikki jumped up and pumped her fists into the air. "Count me in too. My parents told me to go out and explore the world after graduation, and what better way to go than with my best friends!" she exclaimed. Both boys smiled and nodded, happy to have the girl along for the ride.

Suddenly, the door burst open to reveal an enraged Takumi wearing torn robes and with a pink-dyed suit of armor wrapped around his leg, humping it like a dog that's been doped up on viagra. Unfortunately for him, Orph's caulderon was right next to the door when it exploded with a loud BANG before he could utter a sound.

The inky black smoke that enveloped the room threw the teens into hacking fits as they shoved the windows open in an attempt to air out the workshop. After the dust cleared, Orpheus glanced sadly at the remains of the large pot and the charred body of Takumi lying unconscious on the ground.

"What the hell...? I didn't even use any flammable or explosive materials. Why the hell did it blow up again?" he cried, lamenting the loss of his work.

Nikki giggled and wrapped her arms around his playfully as he blushed cherry red at the contact. "Because, Orpheus dear, that's your biggest talent: you make things explode without even trying," she said. They all chuckled lightly and dragged Takumi out into the hall, leaving him there for his squad to find later.

The time seemed to drag on forever as the three waited for the graduation ceremony. Shinji tried practicing his spellwork, but found he couldn't concentrate enough to even focus a simple fireball. Orpheus and Nikki had the same problems with their concentration, though they tried not to show their frustration with the way time seemed to crawl along at a snail's pace.

Once the graduation festivities finally rolled around and ended, Phoenix Squad was gathered in the corner of the Main Hall talking quietly amongst themselves as their classmates milled about. The ceremony itself was nothing special really by any means. Principal Izumi and Vice Principal Mueller simply shook hands with each graduate and presented them with their diploma certificate, which also doubled as their sorcery and alchemy practicioner's license. The students' parents were allowed to attend the event, which easily doubled the number of bodies in the Main Hall. Shinji didn't have any problems with being alone at graduation, as Renaldo had been more of a father to him then Gendo ever could have been, and having his mentor and friends there was enough for him to be happy. Orpheus unsurprisingly was alone as well, considering he and his family hadn't parted on the best of terms. Nikki was the only one who had any family in attendance, but her aunt couldn't stay long after the ceremony before she had to return home to help the girl's parents with housework and babysitting.

The three laughed quietly at one of Nikki's jokes when Dragon Squad approached, their leader looking positively livid. Takumi and Shinji had it out for each other ever since the former's first attempt at bullying. Both were black magic specialists, though Takumi favored lightning spells to Shinji's wind. Shinji usually had the last laugh anyway, since Takumi like most bullies couldn't handle it when the people he bullied started fighting back.

Edge and Orpheus had their own private rivalry going, usually concerning their combat skills. At least twice a week since sixth year, Edge would challenge Orpheus to a duel in the school music room where Orph practiced his ocarina. Thus far, the record stood at 302-168-62 in Orpheus's favor, despite the fact that Edge fought with a massive broadsword and Orpheus with his bare hands.

Sophia and Nikki were even more heated in their dislike of each other than the boys. Maybe it because they were girls...but who could tell? Widely considered the most beautiful girls at Ru-Jukas, the two tended to get into catfights when they were alone simply on the basis of their vast differences. Whereas Nikki was friendly, eager to help others, and just plain sweet; Sophia was arrogant, snobbish, and lazy. Phoenix Squad always wondered how Sophia had become so popular with an attitude like that. Sometimes Nikki joked that the other girl could only graduate if her teammates bailed her out due to her habit of just lying around the grounds half the day instead of doing her assignments. In fact, Sophia's only real interest was in the Herbalism class, where she outperformed everyone _except_ Nikki, which burned her to no end.

Takumi pointed at Shinji and snarled, "You're gonna pay for that armor prank this morning Ikari! Do you have any idea just who you're dealing with?"

Without skipping a beat Shinji retorted, "Why, did you forget who you are?"

Everybody within earshot starting laughing as Takumi's face turned an interesting shade of tomato. Even Edge was chuckling at his teammate's goof. '_Tak walked straight into that one_,' he thought to himself as he and Orpheus simply stared each other down. Even if their friends hated each other with a burning passion, the two close-range fighters probably had the closest thing to a friendship between the Phoenix and Dragon squads, though it was more of a respect for each other's abilities. Edge could quite handily defeat any student not named Orpheus Gundor.

Growling, Takumi huffed and turned around. "Just you wait Shinji Ikari, I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!" he yelled, stalking off with Sophia trailing him like a lost puppy. Edge simply shook his head and followed his teammates.

Not able to resist taking another crack at him, Shinji yelled back, "While I'm flattered that you want me Hirohino, I just don't swing that way!" Orpheus and Nikki snorted and fell to their knees giggling as they heard Takumi's strangled roar at the jibe.

The three continued chatting for a couple more minutes before being interrupted again, this time by Renaldo. "Shinji, I'll need you to come to my office when you're done here. I have to talk to you for a bit about you-know-what," he said quietly to the young Japanese boy. Shinji cocked an eyebrow.

"There's no need for secrecy around my squad, Garrett-sensei. Orph and Nikki know everything. Besides, they've already offered to go with me back to Japan and we have time now to speak with you," he replied in a serious tone. Renaldo sighed and nodded.

"I should've known they would. Have you guys all mastered the translation spells yet?" the older man asked. The teens chuckled, much to Renaldo's confusion.

"We actually don't need them even though we have mastered them," Nikki quipped. "We've been studying our native languages together and all three of us are completely fluent in Japanese, English, and German."

The news startled the middle-aged professor. '_They've all become fluent in two languages outside of their native one? My word, these kids will never cease to surprise me,_' he thought. Shaking his head in embarrassment, Renaldo laughed lightly.

"Well I suppose that makes things much easier then. Why don't you three come up to my office and we'll talk about this in private."

Following their teacher, the three friends stayed quiet along the way, passing a glance at the dorm halls as they ascended the stairway. The teacher's offices were on the fourth floor of the seven-floor castle's east wing, giving the professors a wonderful view of the mountain valleys below. The student dorms encompassed the entire second floor, with girls living in the northern half and boys to the south. Above the main seven floors, the castle had four cardinal towers where several classes took place plus the central tower where the Principal and Vice-Principal's offices were located.

They reached Garrett's office in the back of the wing in silence, watching as the man opened the door and invited them in. Shinji, Orpheus, and Nikki all sat down and waited for Renaldo to speak. Considering the circumstances, they decided that it would be better to wait until their teacher gave them the whole story before they said anything.

"Alright you three," he began, "it appears that my fears about Gendo Ikari were quite correct. He has summoned Shinji back to Tokyo-3, though for what reason I have no clue. As potent as my information networks are, Gendo hides his tracks and goals extremely well. The little information I have on him is just basic knowledge about NERV, the organization he works for. Apparently it's a specially created paramilitary organization that was started by the U.N. after Second Impact, and Ikari is Supreme Commander there. There seems to be more to NERV's creation and finances than the U.N., but whoever is involved is even more adept at hiding then Gendo. My contacts can hardly track even a hint of a trace of them. I guess I better give you this now and see what you kids think."

His briefing complete, Renaldo pushed a letter across the desk and watched as Shinji took it and unfolded the paper. It was probably the shortest letter any of the three had ever seen. It only had one word in its entirety.

_Come!  
__-Gendo Ikari_

Orpheus whistled. "I'll give the man one thing...he has brass balls to wait ten years and then send something like **this **out of the blue." Nikki nodded.

"Definitely. The man must think Shinji is some kind of obedient dog for him to believe that this would work."

Shinji chuckled and tore the letter in half. "Well I suppose it worked anyway, because I'm going. If Gendo Ikari wants me to come, he's gonna get what he wants," he said with an obvious smirk plastered across his face.

'_Oh he'll get what he wants, but the fucker is gonna regret it before I'm done with him,_' Shinji thought as his smirk grew even wider. Orpheus and Nikki both had similar thoughts going through their minds while they thought about what Shinji had told them about Gendo's abandonment.

Renaldo sighed. "So I guess there's no stopping you?" He saw three heads nod in unison. "Very well then. Just be careful. My contacts in Japan have warned me that odd things are happening in Tokyo-3. The energy vibrations there are strangely distorted and flucuating wildly. Something's going down in that city, and it could be extremely dangerous."

Shinji shrugged his shoulders lazily. "Eh, we're used to danger. Professor Dielgear taught us after all." The aging sorcerer blinked. Markus Dielgear, the eccentric professor who taught Advanced Combat, was considered an rampaging psychopath by the majority of the student body and even most of the other professors. To be honest, Orpheus was the only person in the academy's walls who had ever attacked the man's assignments with relish. Everybody else was usually terrified for their physical and mental health whenever they attended one of his classes...

"I'll give you that point. Markus is more intimate with danger than anybody on the planet, so hopefully you kids are prepared enough for this. Regardless, stay on your toes and keep training yourselves to be stronger. You three may be the toughest squad in the school, but you're still just a group of mid-C class fighters. There's always a bigger fish out there, and I don't want any of you to get seriously hurt or killed. Here, take this to help you," Renaldo said, slowing pushing a small device to the group. It looked similar to a GPS system that the students were required to learn how to operate in Technology class, but it had two strange angled antennae sticking out of the top that were spinning in slow circles.

"What's this thing?" Orpheus asked, inspecting it closely. Of the three, the young alchemist had the strongest mechanical knowledge. His intensive studies in alchemy, the physical sciences, and the various metals he used made sure of that.

"It's a spectral analyzer. It tells you the relative power of whatever you point it at. Try it on me," Renaldo answered. Orpheus said nothing but pointed the machine at the teacher and activated it. Both antennae spun faster than before and the device blipped a few times before the number '146,000' appeared in green lettering on the screen.

"That number is my overall strength level. I'm mid A-class, so the number is really high. Each class has a specific range: 0-20,000 is considered D-class level, 20,001-70,000 is C-class, 70,001-120,000 is B-class, 120,001-170,000 is A-class, and anything above 170,000 is considered S-class. Why don't you kids try it out on each other now?" he explained.

Shinji nodded and looked at Orpheus. The taller boy smiled widely and pointed the analyzer at his friend. Soon, a green 61,000 flashed on the screen. Smirking, Shinji took it and pointed it at Nikki, whose power came in at a respectable 55,000. Turning to Orpheus, he repeated the process. Orph's power level frankly shocked Renaldo, as it was just below Shinji's at 60,000.

'_Impossible! Even without a proper mana core, his power level is that high at 14 years old?! Shinji and Nicole are both above average for their age, but they can train both their mana and spirit bodies, which brings their numbers up naturally. It appears Markus was right about young Gundor..._' he thought to himself.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the expectant stares of his students. "Hmm, well the three of you are easily among the strongest students at Ru-Jukas. If you keep training even harder, I wouldn't be surprised if you became B-classes by the end of next year," he told them smiling. "Still, always keep your skills and senses honed. You don't know what could be awaiting you in Tokyo-3. Now, I believe that Principal Izumi should be wrapping up his spiel right about this time. I just want the three of you to know that I'm very proud of you and the progress you've made here. I think of you as the children I never had. Why don't you go ahead and finish packing and tomorrow I'll teleport you to Osaka-2 so you can catch the train. May as well give Gendo the **impression** that you lived there for the past ten years."

With that said, the three friends smiled and hugged their aging teacher before running off to their dorm rooms. After they slammed the door, Renaldo chuckled and lit up the pipe he saved for special occasions.

Tokyo-3 was about to become a much more interesting place with those three involved.

* * *

**That takes care of Chapter 1. Rambling time! It took me forever to get this thing typed out, but I'm rather proud of the finished product. Send me lots of reviews and tell me what you think. Also, I promised you guys a treat, so it's time I delivered.**

**You all will have the chance to decide who ends up in a relationship with Shinji! You are welcome to choose any girl you think would be a good fit for our young hero, even a girl from another anime or game. Send me your votes via either reviews or PM, and we'll keep a running tally. The contest will end after Chapter 7 has been uploaded so you'll have plenty of time to vote. Also, I've got a little trivia question to add a bit of spice to this first round of voting. Anybody who can figure out where I got the inspiration for Orpheus's Metallimancer ability before Chapter 2 goes up gets their vote counted double. **_**SEND ALL ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION BY PM PLEASE!**_** I'm still trying to decide who exactly I want Shinji with to be honest, so I'll cast my lot in the upload of Chapter 2. Good luck everyone!**

**Next time on The Angel Wars, Chapter 2: Return! Shinji's Furious Storm Blades.**

**Let's make this a good story everyone. This is BeastLord Zwieg, signing off until next time!**


	2. Return! Shinji's Furious Storm Blades

**Disclaimer: I have absolutely no ownership rights over anything from Evangelion. Only the Original Characters are mine unless otherwise noted.**

_**Author's Notes and Review Answers**_

**1) For those of you who wish to know in a little more detail about what happened during Shinji's time at Ru-Jukas, I'll _try_ to scatter some flashbacks throughout the story if I can get them in. As it is, it may be difficult as a lot of stuff will be going on in the main story.**

**2) I'm glad to know that people seem to like the story, but I'd like to see more reviews. Any feedback that I can get would be greatly appreciated and will help me give you guys the best story I can.**

**colin: I'm happy to see that you're enjoying the fic. You are quite correct in that Shinji will be causing all sorts of mayhem in Tokyo-3, so stay tuned to find out how much of the city he demolishes.**

**CB93: Thanks for the compliment; I've been trying really hard since this is my first time writing something like this. Also, Gendo and Asuka(for at least one chapter) are gonna learn the hard way that you don't fuck with Shinji Ikari.**

**dragon-cloud16: You are correct in guessing that Shinji's daggers will be used for short-range spells. In fact, you'll get to see one of them at the end of this chapter. Also, my main inspirations for the magic in this fic come from Slayers and .hack, but I will NOT be using the Dragon Slave...no sense in annihilating the city you're trying to save. Other then that, it'll be a combination of magic from different series if I find something I like.**

**jacen134: Thanks for informing me of the mistake. I've gone ahead and made the necessary change to fix it.**

**LoPe21: Thank you very much for your feedback. I'm glad to see that you have an idea of what you want and hopefully I can make things work out for you, though it depends on how the ship voting turns out.**

**RDF-73: Thanks for your feedback. Hopefully you like this battle. I'm gonna put a lot of thought into it.**

**Well that takes care of the bureaucratic paperwork, so let's get this party started. Onward everybody!**

* * *

NGE Magic Files, Book 1: The Angel Wars  
By BeastLord Zwieg

Chapter 2: Return! Shinji's Furious Storm Blades

Shinji, Orpheus, and Nikki went through their bags intensively as the train slowed down on its entrance to Tokyo-3 station. Considering who they were dealing with, it would be helpful to make sure they were well-equipped before they arrived at NERV. Shinji and Nikki didn't really require much, since their spell arsenals provided them with varied forms of protection or attack. Orpheus, on the other hand, made it a point to always bring a large amount of equipment with him at all times, even with his enhanced strength. Bombs, tools, enhancement potions, and his metal vials were among the things he carried. Shinji and Orpheus smirked as the latter pulled out one of his more potent plasma bombs from the bag. They had planned on giving Gendo a greeting he would never forget.

Setting everything back into their original places, the teens stepped off the train and walked outside. Shinji felt nostalgic as he descended the stairs, very clearly remembering the day that his father had left and Renaldo had offered him a chance at a better life.

"I'm home…" he whispered softly. Orpheus smiled and placed his hand on his friend's shoulder. Shinji nodded back to him and dug his hand into the bag, pulling out a picture. On it was a voluptuous violet-haired woman bent in an alluring position while wearing _very_ revealing clothes that seemed to be two sizes too small for her. An arrow pointing to her obvious bust had the words 'Check this out!' scribbled next to it. At the bottom was the woman's name: Misato Katsuragi.

"So this is the lady who's supposed to pick us up?" Nikki asked, glancing at the picture while Orpheus blushed, trying to avert his eyes anywhere but at the provocative image. The young girl giggled when she saw his crimson cheeks. That was one of the things she liked about him: he always tried to put other peoples' honor before his own, even if he had never met the person before.

"Yeah I guess so. I honestly wonder what this woman does for my father considering the way she's dressed and posed in this picture," Shinji replied. He wasn't sure if he could trust this Katsuragi person, but his gut told him that he didn't really have any other choice. '_Oh well, may as well make the most of it_,' he thought.

Spotting a phone, Shinji walked over after another twenty minutes had passed and slotted some yen coins he had gotten change for back in Osaka-2. Picking up the receiver and punching in the number on Misato's photo, he scowled at hearing an ominous message.

'_We're sorry, but a state of emergency has been declared for the Tokyo-3 region. Please hang up and report to the nearest shelter. Have a nice day…'_

The young Japanese boy slammed the phone down. "Well that was a waste. Not only that, it seems like there's an emergency going on. Looks like Garrett-sensei was right when he said something's going down here. At least that explains the lack of people."

And he was right. The streets were completely deserted, with absolutely no sign of another human being in sight. It made the city look rather creepy and foreboding if you asked any of the three, but they tried to look like they weren't worried.

"Maybe we should find a shelter. That Katsuragi woman seems to be running late and I don't really wanna be around when the shit hits the fan," Orpheus said. Nikki nodded and, putting on her best scared face, tenderly wrapped her arms around the taller boy's waist. Orpheus blushed brightly, but kept his steely resolve as he looked around for a possible shelter entrance. Before finding anything, however, he sensed something and his eyes shot up towards the mountains.

"Something's here," he said slowly. Shinji and Nikki both glanced at him before their ears perked at a sound.

"What's that? It sounds like…a jet," Nikki asked. She didn't have to wait long for her answer as a full squadron of military fighter planes zoomed overhead. The teens' hair and clothes fluttered in the gale as the jets swerved around a set of skyscrapers and began firing missiles at something.

"What the hell are they shooting at?" Nikki screamed, holding onto Orpheus for dear life. Looking back up after the wind subsided, their eyes all bulged at seeing who (or what) exactly the military fighters were attacking.

The monster was enormous, easily as big if not bigger than the surrounding buildings. Its skin was a sickly dark green, almost black, and what appeared to be its bones were sticking out of the skin. A large red orb was settled directly in the center, pulsating like a massive heart. The thing's face, if one could even call it that, was a bony plate with two holes that the children could only guess were the eyes. All in all, it was big, ugly, and ugly.

"What the fuck is THAT?!" Shinji screamed as the friends watched every missile explode before even impacting on the creature's skin.

"Whatever it is," Orpheus answered, "it apparently has some kind of shield around its body. None of those missiles are even touching it!"

Nikki gulped. "I vote we make a tactical retreat," she said slowly.

"Seconded," both boys responded before all three of them tore off in the other direction as fast as their legs could carry them. Whatever was going on, they wanted to be as far away from that thing as possible.

Unfortunately, they couldn't get very far before the monster smacked one of the jets, sending it careening towards their position. "Oh shit!" Orpheus exclaimed. Nikki threw out her hands and yelled "Barrier!" A film of powerful mana energy covered the three just as the jet impacted the ground. The ensuing flames and smoke rising from the explosion simply blew around them as a result. Once the smoke cleared, the three blinked. Sitting in front of them now was a bright blue Renault Alpine, with none other than Misato Katsuragi sitting in the driver's seat.

"Sorry I'm late Shinji. Get in!" she called out, prompting the teens to all dive through the windows. "Hold on a second, I never heard anything about there being more than one of you," she said upon noticing that she had two extra passengers in her back seat.

"No time to explain everything...but where I go, they go with me. Now move!" Shinji replied hotly, turning his head to look behind them.

"But-" was all Misato could get out of her mouth before Orpheus expertly shoved one of his long legs through the gap in the front seat and onto her foot and the gas pedal.

"Move the wheels, not your _mouth_!" he screamed at her, the car immediately taking off with Misato desperately trying to keep control of the car as it burned rubber. Swerving in every possible direction, Misato finally regained full control and was now tearing off down the street, quickly leaving the monster in the rear view mirror while the helpless military jets continued being massacred. By the time they had reached the outer skirts of the city, everyone's heart rates had gone down to more acceptable levels. Misato decided to begin her interrogation.

"Alright you three, I think I deserve an explanation here. You were told to come alone, weren't you Shinji?" Misato asked. Shinji chuckled and held out the torn halves of his father's letter.

"Actually the dumbass you call a boss only told me to come, as you can plainly see from this. He never said that I couldn't bring my friends. Besides, I doubt that these two would let me out of their sights. We've been through a lot together and I consider them to be closer family than Gendo could ever be," the young man answered.

Misato nodded in acceptance. "Alright then, I'll allow it this time, since nobody told you otherwise. I doubt my superiors will like this though. So are you gonna introduce me Shinji?"

"The tall creepy looking guy is Orpheus Gundor, and the brunette glued to him is Nikki Hildebrandt." Glaring at his friend's introduction, Orpheus blinked a moment before realizing that Nikki was indeed still rather attached to his person. He gulped and gently tried to pry himself away from her, but her grip was iron-clad, and she would not be removed. Misato giggled.

"Looks like somebody's embarrassed," she started before noticing that Nikki had leveled a fierce glare at her, though neither boy seemed to notice it. Any woman would be able to tell you that _that_ particular look clearly meant '_This one's mine...go find your own_.'

The lavender-haired beauty gulped. '_Note to self: never piss that girl off. She's scary_,' she said to herself as they pulled up to a cliff overlooking a large lake. Pulling out a set of binoculars, she bent outside the window and watched the battle continue. Shinji sighed and leaned back, taking a look behind him as his friends settled down and quickly fell into a light nap. He suddenly heard Misato start mumbling to herself, causing him to look at her only to get a full view of her taut derriere. Shinji blushed brightly and started to sweat, before an idea suddenly popped into his head.

'_I am _**so**_gonna regret this later, but what's life without living?_' he thought as he slowly inched his hand forward. Smirking, he reached out and pinched Misato's ass.

The effect was instant. The older woman squealed and shot back into the car, twisting her head around to face him so fast he was amazed she didn't suffer from whiplash. Shinji simply stared ahead of him, whistling a little tune and trying way too hard to look innocent. Orpheus and Nikki had both shot back into consciousness after hearing Misato's yelp. Nikki glared at Shinji. "Okay Ikari, just what the hell did you do?" she said very slowly.

Misato blushed scarlet. "He pinched my ass!"

Orpheus, still groggy from his brief nap, simply gave Misato a once over and opened his mouth before he even realized what he was saying. "Can't blame him really...you are rather beautiful. But there's somebody else I'd rather go out with," he said, his eyes flickering to his side for a brief moment before closing again..

Misato blushed even harder at the compliment from the usually stoic boy, though Nikki was giving his words a lot of thought. '_Was he talking about...me?_' she thought.

Clearing her throat quickly, Misato gave Shinji a look. "Now then, young man, would you care to explain why you felt the need to be a pervert and grab my rear?" she asked.

Shinji wordlessly dug his hand into the bag and pulled out Misato's photo. "Funny how you call me a pervert when you're sending stuff like _this _to a 14 year old boy. You were asking for it once you sent me this," he replied with a smirk plastered all over his face.

Misato blinked and sighed in frustration. She couldn't exactly refute his logic when he put it that way. Orpheus opened his eyes again and looked outside towards the battle. He stared for a moment, realizing something. "Um...Ms. Katsuragi? Why exactly is there only one plane heading towards the monster and the rest are flying _away_?"

The older woman turned around. "Just Misato's fine Orpheus, no need to be so formal...wait, what?" She grabbed the binoculars again and looked out the window.

"Crap! They're gonna use an N2 mine. Get down you three!" she screamed, throwing herself over Shinji. Sensing trouble, Orpheus immediately followed suit and dived down, pulling Nikki underneath him just as a bright flash enveloped the entire region.

A massive explosion followed, the monster hidden from sight by the sheer size of it. The four occupants of the Alpine covered their ears when the shockwave hit, tossing the car into a wild roll. Keeping themselves braced, Shinji and Orpheus managed to prevent the girls from slamming into the sides of the car before it finally came to a stop on its side. Shinji coughed and looked up at the sky through the window. "Why does shit like this always happen to us?" he sighed. '_Also, I better make sure Orph can't get his hands on one of those N2 mines,_' he added as an afterthought.

**(NERV HQ)  
**"Direct hit!" a general exclaimed as he and several others watched the plane deliver its deadly cargo to the monster. Hovering over the entire room like a giant bearded vampire was none other than Gendo Ikari, Supreme Commander of NERV, Shinji's biological father, and unanimous winner of the Asshole-of-the-Year award for 20 years running. Standing next to him was his former teacher and current second-in-command, Kozo Fuyutsuki.

"Convential weapons will never work against the Angels," Fuyutsuki said softly, never once taking his eyes off the screen.

Gendo smirked through his folded hands. "Of course not, sensei. The AT Field will make sure of that. Only we can destroy them."

"But what about a pilot? Rei is in no condition to move, let alone make another attempt," the gray-haired man asked, worry evident in his voice.

"A spare is being delivered as we speak. Captain Katsuragi should be arriving with him soon," Gendo answered. Their conversation was cut short as the computer brought up a visual of the explosion's epicenter. The generals were all smirking triumphantly, claiming that NERV was of no use to them anymore. However, their words quickly died in their throats as the monster was revealed and only appeared to be slightly melted, but otherwise unharmed. The general that had been standing during his cheer silently slumped back into his seat. "I-impossible. That was our last resort, and it had no effect..." he said, his voice quivering with fright.

"It's a monster...a damn demon," another chimed in. The lead general was busy talking on the phone, nodding his head slightly before putting the receiver down. He turned to look up at Gendo and Kozo.

"Alright Ikari, you've been given the go-ahead to try your luck. Our weapons have had no effect. Do you really think you can do this?" he asked, staring at the man into whose hands he was placing the world's fate.

"Of course. This is the reason for NERV's existence. Take care of things here Fuyutsuki. I have business to attend to," Gendo responded before activating the elevator underneath him.

Fuyutsuki sighed. "Their first meeting in ten years. I wonder how Shinji turned out?" he said to himself.

**(On the cliff)  
**"Oh man! And I still have thirty-three payments left to go on this thing!" Misato cried after the four had finally managed to claw their way out of the car. Shinji whistled as he inspected the damage.

"All things considered, Misato, we got off easy. The damage is actually limited to the body, so all we gotta do is make sure that the battery and other components are still hooked up and we can keep going. First things first, though: we need the car on its wheels. You're up Orph," Shinji said as he and Nikki pulled Misato back a couple meters.

Misato looked at the two in confusion. "What's going on? There's no way that he can-" she tried to say, but her mind shut down once she saw Orpheus walk up to her car, brace himself against the roof, and effortlessly shove the vehicle back onto its upright position. What shocked her most of all was the fact that he had seemingly done it without even breaking a sweat.

"How the hell did he do that!?" she exclaimed, pointing a shaking finger at the young Swiss boy. Shinji chuckled.

"Orpheus is quite a bit stronger than your average 14 year old. I've seen him bench press a 200-pound weightlifter that was benching 250 pounds himself. That was one of our more amusing shenanigans back at school," he answered. Misato simply stared at him in shock.

Nikki smirked. "I think you broke her, boys," she quipped.

"Forget that, let's just make sure this thing can still move when you turn the key," Orpheus cut in, opening the hood and sticking his head in. After mumbling to himself for a couple seconds, he popped his head back out and closed it. "Well the car can still run, so we better not waste anymore time. From the looks of things, that N2 whatever didn't have much of an effect, so we need to get hell out of dodge," he concluded.

Shinji nodded and slapped Misato across the face, who finally came back to reality and hustled the teens inside before driving off again, but not before smacking Shinji back.

As they approached a pair of blast doors, Misato looked at Shinji seriously. "Did your dad send you an I.D. card Shinji?" she asked.

The boy nodded. "Yeah he did, but I don't know why. It isn't as if I plan on sticking around longer than necessary, even if **you **are rather enjoyable company."

"Sounds like you don't get along with your dad. Just like me," she replied. Shinji gave her a blank stare, which unsettled the woman a bit.

"That bastard abandoned me at the age of four after my mother's death and made absolutely no attempt to contact me in ten years. Now he sends a letter _demanding_ me to return here and heed his beck and call? That man is nothing to me other than my male genetic donor. My mentor Renaldo was much more of a father to me than Gendo Ikari ever could have been," he snapped.

Rubbing his temples, he sighed. "Sorry about that Misato. When it comes to Gendo, I have a bad habit of losing my cool. He is the only human being that I can honestly say that I hate with every fiber of my being."

Misato nodded and put her free hand on his shoulder. "I understand how you feel Shinji. My father was never much of a parent either, at least until he died saving my life. But there's a part of me that still hates him for the way he treated my mom and me before then," she said softly.

Shinji turned his head and flashed her a smile. Other than Orpheus, he had never known somebody else who carried similar baggage as he did about his father.

Their conversation ended as the car, now being pulled on a conveyor belt-like elevator, came out of the dark tunnel and into light, exposing a lush forest on the ground hundreds of meters below. "Wow, a real Geo-Front! I've heard of them but never seen one before," Nikki exclaimed, looking excitedly out the window.

Misato giggled. "This is NERV Central, the last defense of mankind. You do know what your father does here, right?" she asked, once again directing her attention at Shinji.

The boy shrugged. "Probably spends his time sitting in a chair while everybody else does all the real work. He once told me that his work was for the safety of mankind, but I wouldn't be surprised if he planned on finishing humanity off after it's all over. That fucker would kill the world for a can of coke if he thought it would benefit him," he retorted. The comment sent Misato into a fit of laughter.

"I can't help but agree with you Shinji. I'll admit that the man always looks like he has something very unpleasant shoved up his ass," she replied. Now all four of them were laughing as the car finally came to a stop.

**(NERV HQ)  
**Despite the fact that Misato worked there, it didn't take long for her to get the small group lost in the vast hallways of NERV. "Ahhh! Why can't they put maps in this place like they do at the mall!" the violet-haired woman yelled in anger. Her three charges simply stared at the back of her head.

"Misato, what exactly are we looking for?" Orpheus asked.

She sighed and straightened her back, trying to regain her professional look. "An elevator with the number 00 on it," she answered.

"You mean that one?" Nikki shot back as she pointed to the right, where the elevator in question innocently stood.

Before Misato could make a witty retort of her own, the door opened to reveal a young blonde woman wearing a one-piece swimsuit underneath a lab coat. Misato gulped and took a step backwards.

"Eh...hi Ritsuko," she stuttered as the newcomer stepped out of the elevator, looking very upset.

"Need I remind you, Captain Katsuragi, that we are extremely short on both time and manpower? Why do I always have to come looking for you?" she yelled, each word making Misato quake in fear.

"Sorry Rits, but I still haven't gotten used to the layout of this place yet."

The blonde turned and regarded the teens standing next to her. "And what's more, you've brought civilians into NERV! I thought you were told to pick up the Third Child, not three children!" she continued, her eyes blazing with anger.

Misato sighed and stood straighter again. "Sorry _Dr. Akagi_, but Shinji was adamant that his friends come. Besides, they aren't from around here and wouldn't know where to go for a shelter. I'll take full responsibility for them while they're here."

Ritsuko glared hotly at the other woman and then turned her attention to Shinji. "I believe you were told to come alone, Mr. Ikari. Why did you ignore that order?" she asked.

Shinji glared right back at the woman, causing a shiver to run through her spine. "Listen lady, Gendo only told me to come. He never said that I couldn't bring my friends. As it is, I wouldn't go anywhere without them anyway. We're a team and I doubt we'll be staying here much longer. So just take us to the old fart so I can tell him to go fuck a goat," the young man growled.

Ritsuko blinked. She had been told that the Third would be meek and submissive, and yet here he was insulting his father and acting like he was the one in control. "Very well," she said. "Follow me."

The five got onto the elevator and waited as they descended even further into NERV. The three friends waited and listened, taking in the conversation of the two older women. They had no clue what they meant by "Unit-01," "synchronization," or "activation," but they assumed that they would find out soon enough.

After the elevator stopped and the door hissed open, the group stepped out and suddenly there was a soft _clang_ echoing throughout the air. "What was that?" Ritsuko asked.

"No clue," Shinji replied. "You work here, though, so I believe you're the one that's supposed to know. Now who turned out the damn lights? Did you guys forget to pay the electricity bill?"

As if mocking him, the lights immediately flashed on, only to reveal...

"You guys have _way_ too much time and money on your hands if you're building giant robots down here," Shinji quipped on seeing the massive purple mug in front of him.

"Love the color scheme though," Orpheus added, rubbing his chin thoughtfully with a wry smile on his face.

"I wanna know what the purpose of that horn is," Nikki chirped as she looked up at the protrusion in question.

"Well you three are certainly calm about this," Ritsuko said dryly. "This is the synthetic fighting machine Evangelion Unit-01. Built here in secret, it's mankind's last line of defense against the Angels, such as the one on the surface." Anything else she would've said was cut off as Shinji held up a hand.

"Hold on...you mean to tell me that you call those monsters _Angels_! First of all, who decided that? And second, what the fuck were they smoking when they thought it up?" Orpheus snorted and held a hand to his mouth as Nikki simply burst out laughing.

Misato shook her head, exasperated at the teens' reactions. Did nothing surprise these three? They were taking the Eva in stride as if giant robots were a common occurrence to them.

"Based on reasonable logic, I can guess that this Evangelion is supposed to be classified information, right?" Shinji asked. Seeing both women nod, he continued. "Therefore, you would not have been able to show this to me without proper reasoning. I assume that the old fart called me here to operate it then?"

"Correct," a deep voice boomed from above.

The three friends all gazed up to stare into the cold, calculating eyes of the one human who could make Shinji lose all sense of control: Gendo Ikari.

The bearded man simply stared down at his son and the two next to him. "I was not aware you were bringing company. I'm afraid your companions will have to be arrested for infiltrating NERV property," he said. The black suited men next to him began to draw their guns.

"Don't even think about it," Shinji growled, snapping his fingers. As if they were being controlled, the men found themselves unable to move, their hands snapping to their sides like magnets.

"I can assure you, _Gendo Rokubungi_, that you have no clue just what the three of us are capable of. My friends have done nothing to harm you or your organization as of yet, so you have no reason other than your own selfish desires to arrest them. Especially since Misato has offered to take full responsibility for them. As it is, I could have had you arrested years ago for child abandonment when you left me, even if you **had **arranged for a guardian. Now then, I assume that you brought me here to operate this machine. Mind telling me why?" Shinji said coldly.

For the first time in his life, Gendo was unsure of what to do. '_How did he do that to my agents?_' he thought desperately. Figuring that answering his wayward son's questions may give him more information, he replied, "Because you are one of the few who can. Our only other pilot here in Japan is injured. If you do not pilot, then she will."

To emphasize his point, Gendo activated the visual com link. "Fuyutsuki, wake up Rei."

"Can we use her?" he asked, concern obvious on the older man's face.

"She's not dead yet. Rei?"

Shinji growled. Just the way that his father said that made him want to tear his throat out. A soft voice echoed from the speakers. "Yes?"

"Rei, our spare seems to be unusable. You will do it again," Gendo said.

"Understood." A minute later, a medical team rolled a gurney into the cage area and what they saw made the three teens sick. A young girl their age with pale blue hair and crimson eyes was lying prone on the mattress, her body covered in bandages.

Shinji leveled his fiercest glare at the man above him. "You are a sick, depraved man Rokubungi. Not even a desperate man would resort to forcing this girl to fight. From her injuries, I doubt she can even stand up!" he yelled, his voice increasing in volume steadily as he went on. As if to prove his theory, the girl struggled to sit up, crying and gasping in pain as her body screamed for her to stop.

"Misato, he said that Rei is the only other pilot here in Japan. Does that mean that you have more?" Shinji asked. Orpheus and Nikki simply watched the exchange, their muscles tense and ready for action.

The woman nodded. "Just one. Rei Ayanami there is the First Child. Asuka Langley Sohryu, the Second Child, is currently training in Germany."

Shinji smirked. "And I'm the supposed Third Child, correct?" he asked, already knowing the answer. His only reply was a simple nod. Before Shinji could do or say anything else, a loud explosion rocked the entire facility. Several support beams came loose from their places above and plummeted towards Rei and the medical team.

Misato would later swear that during the next seven seconds, the entire world seemed to be moving in fast forward. As soon as they saw the beams falling, Phoenix Squad leapt into action. Shinji secured Rei in his arms and had leapt back before the doctors could grab onto him. Downing one of his vials, Orpheus's hair flashed pure white and strange markings covered his face as he threw out his hands. The medical team and the gurney were instantly thrown backwards as if they had been pushed by some invisible force. Nikki got between her two friends and, lifting her hands, erected a barrier around the four children.

It turned out that the shield was completely unnecessary. As soon as the beams got within 20 feet of the group, the Evangelion's hand tore from the strange red liquid it was submerged in and swatted the metal bars away like they were toothpicks. The beams continued on their way towards Gendo's position on the observation deck, where the bearded man was confident the bulletproof glass would protect him.

Too bad he never counted on an attack coming from below as well...

As soon the beams struck the glass, another, even more devastating explosion occurred. Gendo screamed in agony as his body was not only struck by hundreds of pounds worth of force and debris, but zapped with about 1000 volts of electricity coursing through his body. The clang that was heard earlier was no accident: Orpheus, sensing an energy similar to Shinji's above them, had taken one of his plasma bombs and stuck it magnetically to the wall just below the deck. The impact from the steel beams had jarred the bomb just enough to set it off.

Of the 15 people on the observation deck at that time, 12 were from NERV's security group, Section-2. One was Gendo, obviously. The other two sitting in the back were high-level engineers that worked directly under Dr. Akagi and her subordinates. Only four of the 15 survived the explosion of the plasma bomb: Gendo, both engineers, and one low-ranking agent. The latter three were thrown back by the blast, each suffering severe burns and scratches from the rocky debris. Gendo, however, wasn't so lucky. In fact, his very survival could only be chalked up to pure dumb luck. His body, already battered and broken, tumbled from the deck and slammed head first into a railing on its way into the scarlet liquid below.

Ritsuko immediately went into action. "Get Commander Ikari out of there and into the Med Ward, stat!" she exclaimed as people rushed to save their esteemed leader. (cough_dick_cough)

Nikki, watching the whole ordeal, turned and shot an accusing glare at her crush. Orpheus chuckled and scratched his chin. "Umm...oops?"

"Normally I would be pissed at you for doing something like that, but considering the circumstances I think it was justified," she replied. Nobody heard their exchange, so only they knew the truth behind the second explosion.

Shinji, meanwhile, was cradling Rei in his arms and whispering for her to hold still. Turning around, he whistled. "Nikki, get over here! This girl needs help yesterday!" he yelled. Nodding, the brunette hurried over and began waving her hand over Rei's body, whispering "Dol Repth."

Misato ran to see if she could help and was amazed as she saw the blue-haired girl's wounds begin to shrink at an unheard of rate. Her eyes bugged out and her gaze quickly turned on the two teens. "What the...? How are you-?"

"Nikki's an expert healer Misato. We'll explain everything later, but right now Miss Ayanami needs attention," he said softly. His voice, while not loud at all, was able to pierce the haze of pain that clouded Rei's mind. Her eyes fluttered open and swiveled to rest upon the young man's face.

"Who...are you?" she asked, her voice as soft as velvet. Shinji blushed lightly at the piercing gaze she gave him and smiled.

"My name is Shinji Ikari, and you ma'am need to take it easy," he answered.

"You are the Commander's son?"

Shinji sighed in frustration. "As much as I hate to admit it, I _am_ that man's son. Please try not to mention him in front of me, Miss Ayanami. My memories of Gendo are not...pleasant," he responded, the mental pain clear on his features.

Rei was curious. She did not like puzzles, and yet this young man presented one to her rather quickly. He was the Commander's son, and yet it was obvious that he did not like him. Gendo had given her purpose, shelter, and a life. Why would his own son not respect him? She would have to ask him these things when she was feeling better.

Shinji smiled gently at the girl and set her on her back, turning his head to look at the stoic face of Unit-01. "Thank you," he whispered. He wasn't sure why, but this thing felt very familiar to him. Like an old friend...

He turned to Misato. "Alright Misato, I'll pilot the Eva. Now would somebody mind getting me the driver's manual to this damn thing?"

**(Five Minutes Later)  
**Orpheus and Nikki stood next to Misato on the bridge as Shinji finished getting set up in the Evangelion. Ritsuko was currently busy keeping Gendo alive in the Medical Ward. Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki was presiding over the operation after being informed of Gendo's status. Shinji had been rather calm when the LCL began flooding the entry plug, unnerving many of the bridge staff.

"Harmonics...normal," Makoto Hyuuga, one of the bridge techs, said.

"All brain waves are green-line," Shigeru Aoba added.

"Synchronization nearing completion…Pilot Ikari's sync ratio is...my god!" Maya Ibuki cried out. Misato looked over at her worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Maya replied, her voice shaking. "His sync ratio is...amazing. It's holding at 71 percent!" Everyone's eyes bulged. 71 percent? He had surpassed the prodigal Second Child on his first try!

"Incredible...it's like he was born to pilot the Eva," Fuyutsuki said.

In the entry plug, Shinji was gauging Unit-01 in his mind, spreading his mana throughout the mech to sense its power. '_So this thing runs on thought huh? Let's see just what it can...HOLY SHIT! The power in this machine is unbelievable! I'll have to get Orpheus to use the spectral analyzer on this thing later,_' he screamed in his mind, his eyes widening at the energy levels he felt.

'_It feels restrained though. It's as if something is holding the Eva back. Maybe it's the armor. Professor Dielgear and Orpheus use something similar, after all. And why the hell does the Eva seem so familiar?_' he continued, only to be interrupted by a needle-like prick in the back of his mind.

"What the hell ass balls?" he growled.

'_Your language aside young man, I'm glad that you were able to get me out of there. Not that your head is much better. You got so much stuffed in here it's amazing your head doesn't explode._'

Shinji blinked. "Oh great, I'm losing it. Now I'm hearing voices in my head." A feminine chuckle reverberated throughout his mind.

'_I would've thought that you'd be happy to hear your mother after so long,_' the voice replied. Shinji gasped, his mind going blank for a moment before tears begin trickling down his cheeks.

"Mom?"

_'That's right Shinji-kun. It's me. Apparently when you spread your mana through the Eva, it released my soul from the core and drew me into your own mind. Looks like you're stuck with me now,_' Yui answered, her voice causing Shinji to shudder with each word. He had missed his mother for so long, and now she seemed to be back with him. Then he realized something.

"Wait a minute...how do you know about mana?" he asked.

'_First off, you can speak to me telepathically. If you keep talking like that, people are gonna think you're nuts. Second, I can look through your mind since I'm actually inside it and believe me, Rokubungi and I are gonna have a long chat about his priorities if I ever get out of your head,_' Yui said.

Shinji chuckled. If he could find a way to give Yui her body back, then he was **so** gonna get a ticket to that conversation. His mom's voice just reeked of rage, all of it directed at his father.

"Shinji," Misato's voice called out, "are you okay in there? We're ready to go when you are."

The boy simply nodded and whispered to Yui that they could talk later. '_Time to play hero_,' he thought.

"Alright Misato, let's get this party started. I'm more pumped than ever and ready to kick some ass!" he exclaimed. Orpheus and Nikki laughed.

"I'm not sure what happened in there, but something's got him happier than a cat at a bird show. That Angel won't know what hit it," Orpheus said.

"Okay! Let the operation begin. EVA LAUNCH!" Misato yelled. As soon as the words left her mouth, the lift shot upwards and leveled Shinji to his seat as the g-forces slammed into him.

"Yeeeehawwwww! You guys gotta try this!" Shinji cried happily.

Misato blanched, and then slapped herself in the face. '_Our lives are in the hands of a maniac_,' she thought.

Nikki giggled. "I've gotta get me one of those. That looks like fun!"

On the surface, Sachiel awaited as it sensed a large power approaching from underneath the ground. Lumbering towards its location, the Angel of Water stopped about 500 meters down a street. The gates in the street opened and Eva Unit-01 arose, its head snapping up at the sudden stop of the lift.

Shinji glared ahead, trying to measure his opponent. "Misato, what weapons does this contraption come with?" he asked.

"You have one Progressive Knife in each of the shoulder pylons. There are normally rifles in the weapon chambers but we still haven't gotten them replaced. This attack was rather sudden as you can guess," was his answer.

"That's fine. I work best with knives anyway." Shinji smirked as he activated both prog knives.

Back in the bridge, Nikki whistled as he saw his best friend kneel into a stance. Unit-01 held the pulsating knives with the blades pointing behind it, the edges facing the outside. **(A/N: Think of how the twin blades in .hack hold their weapons in battle and you've got the stance)**

"That monster is in deep shit. I've never known Shinji to lose a fight to anyone but Orpheus once he draws a blade, and even then it's a toss-up," the girl said. Everyone looked at the pair in amazement.

"So you guys know how to fight?" Maya asked.

The girl nodded. "It's something we've become extremely good at. Most of the thugs and bullies back home were scared to cross us because of our reputation as a team. We were kinda the anti-bullies."

All eyes went back to the pair on screen as Shinji slowly inched his way towards the Angel. Sachiel simply stared at its opponent, wondering when it was going to make its move.

"Shinji try to concentrate on walking. You won't be able to move as fast keeping your feet grounded like that," Misato said.

She was shocked to hear the Third Child chuckling darkly. "Walk? Oh no, I don't do _walk _in a fight...I run." With that, Shinji bolted at the Angel at incredible speeds. The monster couldn't even react in time to make a block as Shinji twisted his waist and slammed one of the knives into its gut. Twisting, he wrenched the weapon free and kicked one of Sachiel's legs out from underneath it. With his enemy now on its knees, Shinji growled and raised his other knife high before bringing it down blade first into the top of the Angel's skull. Unable to make even a pained sound, Sachiel could do nothing as Shinji shoved his foot through its face plate to send it careening into a building.

Everyone stood stunned speechless at the carnage they had just witnessed. "What the fuck was that?" Misato asked.

"That, Misato, was what happens when you piss Shinji off," Orpheus replied.

Stalking towards the fallen messenger with his knives dripping blood, Shinji watched as the Angel staggered to its feet. "Seems like this is one tough bugger. Guess it's time for Round 2," he said before charging again. This time, however, the Angel was ready as Shinji instantly smashed into a barrier of some kind.

"Well there's that shield we saw earlier when the planes were attacking it," Nikki said dryly as Shinji began cursing up a storm. Maya blushed madly at hearing the provocative slurs pouring out of his mouth.

"Fuck! How do I get rid of that shield Misato?!" Shinji finally screamed as the Angel lurched forward and grabbed Unit-01 by the horn, lifting it over its head before bringing it crashing back on the ground back-first. Shinji grunted as he felt the impact. '_Perfect. I can actually feel what the Eva feels. This certainly ups the motivational factor_.'

"You have to extend your own AT Field Shinji! It's the only way!" Misato exclaimed. What she didn't expect was a snarl in response.

"What the flying FUCK is an AT Field? Screw this, I'm doing things my way," he said as he stumbled back up. Sachiel moved forward to attack again, only to be repelled by an orb of emerald green light slamming through the AT Field and into its core.

Now nobody could even hear the crickets chirping as they watched Shinji fire a ball of light from the Eva's fingers. "I'm lost...what was that?" Makoto asked.

Orpheus chuckled. "You guys will find out later. For now, enjoy the show." '_Interesting. Shinji was able to channel his mana through the Eva and cast a wind spell. Maybe..._' he thought as he watched on with interest.

Nikki had similar thoughts going through her mind. '_Wow, so Shinji can cast magic even with the Eva as an extension of his own body. Now I know he'll win_.'

Sachiel wouldn't go down that easily, though, as it fired its own attack. Shinji grunted as a cross-shaped beam sent him flying backwards through several skyscrapers. The young man got back up and knelt into his stance again, this time channeling his mana straight to the prog knives.

Nikki gulped. "He isn't actually gonna use _that_ is he? That seems like overkill to me."

Orpheus shrugged in response. "Why not? When you need it, and don't have it, you sing a different tune."

Misato watched the two with trepidation. '_Now what is that boy gonna do?_'

Shinji glared daggers at the Angel and smirked. "Okay you stinking SOB. I've played nice guy long enough. Now I'm gonna rip you apart." Everybody watched in anticipation now as Shinji began chanting.

"Breath of life, winds beyond the eternal stream of time. Gather into my unworthy hands and guide my blade to victory. Let those who stand before us be crushed by the power that you and I possess. STORM BLADES!!"

Misato gasped as a whirlwind of energy surrounded the prog knives, elongating slowly before solidifying into two bright green blades that made the weapons look more like short swords. Orpheus and Nikki both nodded.

"It's over," they said in unison. Sachiel stood still, trying to figure out just what the large purple creature had done. Shinji knelt down and, closing his eyes, attacked.

It was over before it even started. Sachiel reacted just quickly enough to extend its AT Field, but it proved worthless as Shinji's new weapons tore through it like a cannonball through paper. One of the Angel's arms was immediately severed at the elbow by a downward slash as the other blade found its way into Sachiel's side. Shinji growled and wrenched the weapon up, tearing through flesh and bones as he ripped his opponent's side completely open. Angel blood sprayed everywhere while Shinji continued his merciless, unyielding assault.

Jumping over the Angel's head, Shinji spun in mid-air and brought both blades down on it in a hacking attack. The weapons curved around the core on their way down as Shinji pulled them free. Taking a step backwards, the young man then began spinning Unit-01's body like a tornado before advancing on the Angel. Sachiel was unable to move when Shinji reached it, slicing its body into ribbons with the compressed wind that surrounded the prog knives. What was left of the Third Angel finally collapsed in a bloody heap at Unit-01's feet, broken and mutilated beyond recognition.

Shinji simply stared at his fallen enemy and retracted his mana energy, returning the prog knives to normal. Re-sheathing them, he pointed his open palm at Sachiel's prone body. "May your corpse be a message to others that no innocent blood shall be slain on our watch. Zan Brando!" A massive green orb formed in Shinji's hand before shooting at the body, vaporizing the core instantly and finishing the Third Angel.

Back in the bridge, everybody stood horrified at what they had witnessed. "Where the hell did you kids learn to kill like that?" Shigeru exclaimed. Fuyutsuki could only watch as Shinji brought Unit-01 back to the lift pad. '_Yui, what has happened to your son?_' he asked himself.

Orpheus chuckled. "We learned by slaughtering the beasts that roamed around our school. They were bred there for us to use as target practice essentially. Not only that, but we used the carcasses for other purposes, like food and clothing," he explained.

"Most of what we learned in class was centered around self-defense and survival. The creatures surrounding the grounds are all considered dangerous and we quickly learned how to kill to defend ourselves from them. It was a...very motivational method of teaching," Nikki added.

Misato nodded. "That makes sense I suppose, but you kids will need to explain everything later. Understood?"

The two nodded. "Yes ma'am. Shinji's already decided to tell you everything, so we will. Once we have a little more privacy anyway," Orpheus responded.

Suddenly, they heard Shinji's voice over the intercom. "Hey guys, you really gotta try piloting one of these things. This is fricking awesome!"

'_Shinji-kun, you definitely need a hobby__**,**_' Yui commented as Shinji pulled himself from the entry plug.

**(Outside Tokyo-3)  
**Three figures stood atop the mountain cliffs overlooking Tokyo-3, gazing down at the city. The battle had taken place right in the center of the city, giving them a perfect view of the carnage below.

"You're sure that they're here?" the shortest figure, definitely feminine, asked.

"Of course. That wind we just saw around the city just screams 'Ikari.' Besides, you heard it from the teachers themselves that they would be here," The middle one answered.

"I could care less about your obsession with Ikari, Tak. My objective is Gundor, and I _will_ prove to him that I'm stronger," Edge chipped in, his broadsword gleaming in the sunset.

"You can do what you wish with Gundor, Edge. We all have bones to pick with them. But first we need to make contact with our objective, as per our contract. I doubt our employer will appreciate lateness. One day, though, those three will be sorry they ever crossed Dragon Squad," Takumi shot back as the three descended the mountains towards Tokyo-3.

* * *

**Dun-dun-dun! Dragon Squad has apparently followed our heroes to Tokyo-3 to continue their rivalry. I wonder how things will turn out now that there are 6 graduates of Ru-Jukas roaming the city. Anyway, now that Chapter 2 is done, I can honestly say that I'm starting to get everything organized in how I want the story to progress.**

**Now then, time for the voting tally. I'm rather shocked that only one person has responded by review thus far. Most of my votes have come from PMs and even then, there aren't many. Hopefully now the voting will pick up. Here are the current standings:**

**Rei - 5**

**Misato - 2**

**Asuka - 1**

**Sophia - 1**

**So far, only one character not from the Eva-verse has been voted for. Guess you guys are traditionalists, but hey so am I. My vote personally goes to Rei, because I just love her. **

**Also, only two people were able to correctly answer my trivia question from Chapter 1. The answer: my inspiration for the Metallimancer skill comes from the Allomancers of Brandon Sanderson's _Mistborn Trilogy_ books. Let's try another one. Hopefully this question is a bit easier. Again anybody who gets it right gets their vote counted double:**

**_Which anime character did I use as basic foundational inspiration for Orpheus's character?_**

**Once again, PLEASE SEND YOUR ANSWERS BY PM! I don't want anybody giving the answer away.**

**Next time on The Angel Wars, Chapter 3: Saviors! Birth of the Heroic Triad**

**Until next time, this is BeastLord Zwieg signing off. Enjoy the story everyone!**


	3. Saviors! Birth of the Heroic Triad

**Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion. Gainax does. If I did own it, Shinji wouldn't have been such a chicken wuss for the whole show. I only own the Original Characters.**

_**Author Notes and Review Answers:**_

**1) Glad to see the voting shoot off now that I've released the first standings. Also thanks for the feedback everyone! I feel that I can get better at this the more you guys tell me what you like and don't like.**

**2) I noticed that a couple of you thought Shinji was overpowered, but that was just as an introduction to his magic abilities. The rest of the Angels are gonna be a lot more of a pain in the ass to bring down.**

**3) Also, Yui's emergence may seem a tad rushed, but she's an important character in the next couple of chapters so I had to bring her out now.**

**4) VERY IMPORTANT: Starting at the end of December, I won't be able to update for a couple months at least as I'll be in Air Force training in Texas. I'll keep you all posted on this as the fic moves along.**

**LoPe21: Thanks as always for the great feedback. Shinji may seem overpowered, but he really just got the drop on Sachiel. The Third Angel had no idea what Shinji was capable of and was simply bulldozed as a result. The rest of the Angels are gonna start adapting to Shinji's magic, so wait till the next Angel battle to see how things turn out.**

**Jealousy of Tomorrow: I'm not really sure Shinji could be qualified as superhuman, but he definitely has an advantage over normal humans in his magic. Either way, his increased power has to do with the Eva, which will be explained soon enough. Hope you continue enjoying the story.**

**dragon-cloud16: Thank you very much for that brilliant idea. I had a thought about using a spell like that, and your mentioning it just gave me an excellent inspiration for use in later battles. Keep sending more ideas, because my imagination isn't limitless.**

**CB-93: Yeah Yui is kinda like his guardian angel now, and she'll be rather important in the coming chapters. Keep reading and let me know how it's going.**

**RDF-73: Trust me, I enjoyed blowing Gendo up as much as you did reading about it. And I'm glad you loved the fight scene. My beta-reader, Ama no Murakumo, said that fight scenes seem to be my specialty as a fic writer. Also, Yui is actually inside Shinji's mind now, and not just in the Eva. So yes, it will bring up funny stuff later on. Nothing like literally having your mother in your head to make you watch your thoughts.**

**Arjuna1356: Thanks for your comments. Many of the OCs will have their personal histories fleshed out later on as the plot develops, so keep watching for that.**

**Anonymous: Believe me when I say that, as an ending, I was rather disappointed in EoE as well. The MPEs will really have no major part in this fic. And as much as I wanted to have Dragon Squad working for SEELE, they aren't. It's somebody else. Keep reading to find out who later in the story.**

**Alright, now that the opening spiel's been taken care off, let's get back to our story. To Victory!**

* * *

NGE Magic Files, Book 1: The Angel Wars  
By BeastLord Zwieg

Chapter 3: Saviors! Birth of the Heroic Triad

Misato Katsuragi rubbed her temple in frustration. Granted, not much could rattle the young captain, but this definitely was a 16 out of 10 on her weird-shit-o-meter. The source of her agitation? Shinji Ikari and his two friends. She was currently leading them to the housing coordinator of NERV HQ to figure out where Shinji would be living during his time in Tokyo-3. On the way, she had continued her interrogation.

"So you guys are telling me that magic is real? And that you can all use it?" she asked the trio.

Orpheus raised his hand. "Technically I use alchemy and spirit energy which are a tad different, but yes, all three of us have skills most people would think came straight out of a fantasy novel," he answered.

Misato nodded. "Well that explains that strange ball of light that Shinji shot out of the Eva's hands during the fight. So what other kinds of crap can you three do?" she asked. The three friends excitedly explained their abilities to the older woman as they walked, happy to know that their first friend in the city didn't think of them as freaks because of what they could do.

Once they arrived at the designated office, Misato was pissed to learn that Shinji was originally slated to live in H-block, several streets away from Rei's apartment.

"Are you kidding? That place is a slum!" the purple-haired beauty exclaimed at the coordinator, who held up his hands in defense.

"Sorry ma'am, but the housing orders came directly from Commander Ikari. Unless you can think of a better place for him, Captain, he has to go there," the man replied.

"Screw that!" Misato yelled. "They can live in the apartments next to mine. The people who lived in them before recently left, plus it's much closer to NERV and I'll be around to keep an eye on them," she snapped.

The coordinator sighed. "Very well, I'll approve the change under a temporary code, but if the Commander believes that Pilot Ikari isn't performing up to standards due to living conditions, the boy will be moved. Understood?"

"Yes, now get those housing orders changed, ASAP." With that, the woman stalked off with the teens on her heels. The man gulped and quickly began typing in the new information.

"Gods that woman is frightening."

**(Several minutes later)  
**"What! What do you mean Shinji's gonna be living next to you?" Ritsuko yelled at her best friend.

"It's already been approved, Ritsuko. Besides, they were gonna send them to a slum for god's sake! The only reason I haven't asked for Rei to be moved from H-block as well is because I know the Commander would veto it right away," Misato retorted. As much as Misato was required to heed Gendo's orders, she was beginning to see exactly why Shinji said he wanted to shove a Storm Blade right up his father's rectum. The man was an unfeeling asshole.

"Misato, you're my friend and all, but don't you think you were a bit hasty?" the young bottle blonde asked.

"Shut it, Rits. It isn't like I'm gonna be making any passes at the boys," she shot back, though a smirk was plainly evident on her face.

"Of course not! How could you even think of such a thing?" Ritsuko roared.

Misato flinched. "Jeez, where's your sense of humor?" To the side, the three teens watched the argument with bemused expressions on their faces.

"This is better than cable television," Orpheus said.

"Definitely, though I bet you boys would love it if she made passes at you," Nikki replied. Mentally, she was hoping that Misato never actually did. '_I still haven't told Orpheus how I feel...and there's no way I can compete with Misato_' she thought dejectedly.

"Not really. I don't know about Shinji, but I don't go for older women even if they are beautiful," Orpheus replied, much to the girl's extreme relief.

Shinji chuckled. "I'm still not sure what I'm looking for in a girl myself. Personally, age wouldn't be a deciding factor for me, since I think the personality is much more important."

Misato growled lightly and slammed the door shut, sighing as she turned to the three. "Well, it looks you three have just become my new neighbors. Shinji and Orpheus will be bunking together and Nikki gets her own apartment because she's a girl," the older woman said happily.

"Good. The last thing I need to worry about is these two accidentally walking in on me in the shower," Nikki responded, a light blush coloring her cheeks. '_Then again, I'm not sure what I'd do if Orpheus actually _did_ walk in on me_...' Their living situation finally taken care of, the trio followed Misato out to her car in the parking lot.

"Come to think of it, you guys are 14 so you probably better start learning how to drive soon. Maybe I'll teach you whenever we have time," Misato said as the three climbed inside.

Shinji rubbed his chin. "Good point Misato. Didn't the U.N. lower the worldwide legal driving age to 15 after Second Impact?" he asked.

"Yup. Apparently more young people needed to go out and work after it happened so the U.N. decided to lower the age to make things easier."

"Sounds like fun," Orpheus said. Misato smiled and warned them to tighten their seat belts.

"Why? There isn't any danger," Nikki asked.

"While that may be true, I wanna get home soon. We're gonna have a party to celebrate your moving in, and I want you kids to have plenty of time to relax." As soon as the last word left her lips, Misato turned the ignition and slammed on the gas pedal.

The teens' screams could be heard clear across the city, though only two of them were screaming in terror...

**(Misato's Apartment)  
**"I think I'm gonna be sick," Shinji groaned as he literally fell out of the car clutching his sides. Nikki didn't look much better.

"Relax my ass...I'm gonna need years of therapy to get over that," she gurgled softly. She managed to actually step out of the car, but was noticeably wobbling.

Orpheus appeared to be the only one still capable of standing straight. "You guys don't look so good. I thought that was fun! I can't wait to start learning how to drive," he exclaimed.

Nikki held up a hand to her mouth. "God help us all if you start driving like Misato. I think I got an ulcer out of that experience."

The taller boy smiled softly and tucked his should under Shinji's arm, helping him up. "Come on, let's get you two to a couch before you hurl all over the place. Misato, grab Nikki and I'll come get the bags after we get these two settled down," he said as he led the slightly green brunette up the stairs.

"Sure thing Orpheus," Misato replied as she followed suit and helped get the brunette upstairs. Pulling out her card key, she opened the door and led them inside.

"Misato..." Orpheus said slowly upon seeing the apartment's inside, "I think you need a maid, like five years ago. This place is so filthy even a pig would be disgusted," he continued. Looking at a large pile of trash in the corner, he blanched. Were those rats _worshipping_ the garbage heap?

The older woman growled. "Hey I just moved in recently, so it's a little messy. I don't exactly spend too much time here anyway."

Nikki choked back some bile at the smell. "Misato, with all due respect, Orpheus may be blunt but he's right. Your apartment barely looks livable with all this garbage. First thing tomorrow, we're gonna help you get this place cleaned up," she said as Misato swatted some of the trash bags aside and laid her down gently on the couch. Shinji nodded and with Orpheus's help was able to set himself down in a chair at the table.

Misato sighed and grabbed two glasses of water, handing them to the prone children. "Sorry if I made you guys feel sick. The only other person who's been in the car with me is Ritsuko, and she's never said anything about my driving ability," she said apologetically.

Shinji snorted. "It's probably because she's used to it. I bet you could give a professional racer motion sickness driving like that," he replied. '_I don't even have a physical body and __**I**__ was starting to feel sick. That woman is hell on wheels_,' Yui commented from the back of Shinji's mind.

Orpheus simply shook his head and starting putting the snacks into the fridge. '_Holy crap that's a lot of booze! Where in the world does she keep it all in that body?_' the young man thought on seeing a fridge literally stuffed to the brim with Yebisu brand beer. "Hey guys, we've entered a frat boy's dream world. This fridge is packed with liquor," he told his friends. Turning his head, he cocked an eye.

"Hey Misato, what's in the other fridge?" he asked.

Misato's voice could be heard from her room. "Oh don't worry about that. He's probably still sleeping," she replied. All three teens looked at each other in confusion.

"Sleeping?"

Shinji moaned slightly and stretched out, making his way towards the bathroom. After warning his friends of where he would be, he opened the door. What followed could only be described as an indignant squawk and Shinji screaming like a banshee. Nikki laughed uproariously on seeing her friend barrel into the kitchen with his belt undone looking like he just saw the devil himself.

"What the hell happened to you?" the brunette asked. As if to answer her question, a small penguin waddled through the door and made its way to the second fridge, opening it with his flipper before walking in and shutting the door.

Orpheus blinked. "Ok I'm curious...when did we get to Antarctica?" he quipped.

Misato giggled when she saw the odd looks on their faces. "Oh he's my roommate. His name is Pen-Pen, and he's one of those new warm water penguins. You'll get used to him."

Shinji shuddered. "I think that information would've been extremely helpful earlier. I almost had a heart attack when he jumped at me as soon as I opened the door."

"Details, details," Misato shrugged. "Now this has been bugging me since the battle, so I may as well ask and get it over with. Orpheus, what exactly happened back at the cage? You drank one of those little vials and your appearance completely changed. I don't think you mentioned that when you three were explaining your skills," she asked.

The Swiss boy chuckled. "I was hoping nobody noticed that. When I was eight, I learned that I'm a Metallimancer, somebody who can enhance their physical capabilities by consuming metal. Whenever I activate it, my hair changes color and those markings appear on my face. That's what's in all these vials: different combinations of metal flakes in an alcohol solution for easy swallowing. What you saw me take was steel, though the physical change is the same for all my metals. It allows me to generate and expel a magnetic field through my hands that adapts to the electric charge of the environment around me. With it, I can push any metal object away without even touching it. Iron creates a magnetic field of the opposite force, letting me pull metal objects towards myself. It can be helpful in getting people out of the way quickly or in attacking my opponents from far away," he said.

Misato nodded slowly. "I see. That's a pretty useful ability. What other metals do you carry?"

"Zinc, titanium, brass, pewter, copper, tin, and tungsten are my most useful metals. Maybe I'll show you someday what they can all do. I'm trying to experiment with others to see if they have any effects, but so far I haven't found much else that's of any use. Currently, I'm trying to see if aluminum has an effect on me."

"Interesting. You guys just have a whole slew of tricks up your sleeves, don't you?"

Shinji laughed and nodded. "Yep, just a trio of circus freaks. At least, that's what most of society would label us as. We were taught early at Ru-Jukas that humans tend to fear what they don't understand. Then, they'll typically try to either control it or destroy it," he said solemnly.

Misato smiled and patted the young man on his head. "Well I don't think you guys are freaks. You saved countless lives today Shinji. And if it wasn't for Orph and Nikki, the doctors tending Rei would've probably died as well. Ok now, enough of this depressing stuff. Let's party!"

Later that night, as Shinji got ready for bed, he looked over at Orpheus's sleeping form and smiled. He wasn't sure where he would be without his friends, but he doubted it would've been very pleasant. Turning out the light, he crawled into bed and closed his eyes. According to Misato, the three of them would be starting school on Monday. Thinking about it, the three figured they may as well try to make some new friends.

Smiling, he reached into his mind. '_You were rather quiet today, mother. Is something bothering you?_' he thought.

'_No Shinji-kun I'm fine. Just getting used to being in my son's head and watching everything through your eyes, that's all. I think it'd be better for me to observe for now, before I try to make any attempt at thinking of ways to get out of here. Why not call that teacher of yours…Renaldo? He may have a idea,_' Yui replied.

'_Actually I was gonna send him a letter first thing tomorrow morning. If anybody can help us, he can. Well, good night mom._'

'_Good night, my little Shinji-kun_.'

**(Monday morning)  
**Shinji and Orpheus scrambled to get breakfast on the table after their marathon cleaning task as Nikki and Misato watched in amusement. The two boys were the only ones with any semblance of culinary talent, as the girls were somehow capable of burning water. Shinji declared, upon seeing Misato's style of home-cooked food burn through the floor, that they should send it to the U.N. for possible acceptance as a biological weapon. The comment had earned him a smack to the head from the beautiful captain. After a relatively quiet breakfast, the trio jogged down the street towards their new school. On the way, Shinji was explaining his new mental tenant to his friends. The boy still needed a couple days to get used to it before he felt comfortable telling Orpheus and Nikki.

"So your mom was trapped in the Eva's core and now she's stuck in your head?" Orpheus asked, shaking his head in disbelief. '_This trip just couldn't get any fricking weirder..._' he thought.

"Man, I feel sorry for that poor woman. Must be hell living in _your _head," Nikki snickered. Shinji glared at her.

'_Oh I like her,_' Yui said. '_She's a girl after my own heart_.'

"Mom, shut up," Shinji replied out loud. About three blocks from the school, they passed an orphanage. Normally it wouldn't be of any consequence, but mere moments after they walked by, an explosion shook the street. The windows were blown out, and flames shot from the openings while people screamed and trampled over each other in their flight to escape. Shinji, Orpheus, and Nikki looked back in shock, wondering just what the hell happened.

Suddenly, a loud voice could be heard booming from the blazing building. "May the Lord our God take these innocent children unto him in forgiveness before his messengers! Their lives have become worthless in this realm, and my mercy knows no bounds in sending them to meet their Lord in their innocence!"

Shinji blinked stupidly. "What the hell...?" he questioned as a large figure emerged from the smoke in one of the destroyed windows. A giant of a man, easily six and a half feet tall, stood decked in a priest's robe while holding a crucifix in one hand and a Bible tucked under the other arm.

"This city seemed to be full of weirdoes well before we ever came here," Nikki commented as the priest began praying to the heavens, with the children screaming and choking behind him.

"That sicko...what the hell is he playing at?" Orpheus exclaimed. Shinji took a step back involuntarily as the taller boy pulled a small vial from his belt. '_Oh crap, Orph is _really_ pissed off now..._'

Nikki grabbed both boys and pulled them into an alley. "Orpheus, before you go running off half-cocked, we better change our clothes and faces. Don't need people figuring out who we are just yet," she said, waving her arm over herself as her body took on a whole new appearance. Shinji nodded.

"Good point. I'll alter Orph's clothes since his face changes enough as it is," he assented. Soon all three were dressed in completely new outfits.

Shinji had opted for a chain-mail under-suit beneath a baggy forest green shirt and beige breeches. A bangle jingled from each wrist while an emerald pendant hung around his neck. His face had become much more full and rounded, and his eyes had shifted from electric blue to a deep auburn. Finally, his hair grew to about half a foot below his shoulders and had turned golden blonde.

Orpheus switched to a powerful looking armor. A silver mask covered the lower half of his face, and a pair of sleek, heavy black armguards extended from his wrists to just below the elbow. Similar leg-guards were equipped on his lower legs while an immense onyx-black breastplate covered in pointed spikes around the shoulders and bottom covered his torso. Finally, he wore black armored combat boots to complete the ensemble. Downing a vial of titanium for increased durability, his hair shifted back to a bright platinum blonde and his eyes changed from purple to red. All in all, he easily could've passed for a villain with his new look.

Nikki's clothes had changed to a tight-fitting spandex bodysuit covered by a pure white tunic that covered her from the neck to just above her ankles. Thorny wooden guards protected her arms and her right hand bore a silver-woven glove. A long flowing cloak made of unicorn hair covered the entire outfit. Her hair changed from its semi-long light brown to a shorter strawberry red and her eyes had become baby blue, instead of their usual green.

Taking a look at each other, they laughed at the armor-clad Orpheus. "Orph you look positively evil in that armor," Nikki said with a snicker. The taller boy simply shrugged.

"Look at it this way, at least the bad guys will think twice before screwing with me," he responded.

"Screw with you? Dude, they'll probably try to recruit you!" Shinji gasped in between laughs. Orpheus shook his head slowly and took a step towards the building. Nikki quickly grabbed his hand at seeing the venomous look on his face.

"Are you okay Orpheus? I understand that what that guy's doing is disgusting, but I've never seen you like this. You look like you wanna rip his head off," she spoke softly. Orpheus sighed.

"I'll tell you guys after we take care of him. I promise I won't kill him, but I'll make him wish that I did. You two concentrate on putting the fire out and casting levitation spells on the kids as I toss 'em out the window," he said, pointing to Shinji and Nikki respectively as he laid out his plan.

The two nodded. "Got it Orph. Try not to traumatize the kids too much," Shinji joked as the trio came out of the dark alley. '_Ohh this is so cool. You guys are gonna be just like superheroes,_' Yui cheered from Shinji's mind.

The shorter boy chuckled. '_Hopefully this doesn't become a habit. We're probably gonna be late for school as it is..._' he replied.

The passerby watching the whole ordeal blanched on seeing the three strangely dressed newcomers. The priest looked down from his perch at the window and sneered. "Who are you three? Have you come to try and prevent my divine mission to save these children?" he bellowed.

Orpheus grinned underneath his mask and spoke in a deep baritone voice to hide his identity. "First of all, we're the ones that'll be doing the saving. And second, who said anything about _trying_? Personally, I'm gonna hit you so hard your ancestors will be knocked ass-over-tea-kettle," he declared as Nikki shot him with a levitation spell.

Everyone gasped in amazement at seeing the hulking armor-clad young man actually float off the ground. Orpheus was suddenly thankful for all that training he had done with his friends on controlling himself while in the air. Otherwise, he would've been in a bit of trouble maneuvering while in his armor. Reeling himself back, Orpheus shot towards the priest like a cannonball.

The robed man had no time to react before Orph smashed into him. Thrown back like a rag doll, a loud crunch was heard as his ribcage shattered on impact, his body crumbling against the wall. Deciding to deal with him later, Orpheus turned his head quickly and found the children coughing and wheezing in the corner. His boots created a loud thud with each step as he advanced on them. The kids, looking terrified at the sight of the oddly-dressed person, shivered in his shadow.

Orpheus knelt down and smiled through his mask. "Don't worry kids, I'm not gonna hurt you. My friends are waiting outside to catch you so just hang on. We'll get you all out of here," he said softly. Herding them to the window, he glanced outside and saw Shinji and Nikki tossing water spells with reckless abandon to try and contain the blaze.

"Hey guys, get ready! Here they come!" Orpheus shouted. His two friends nodded as Nikki stepped forward and began casting her levitation spells again. Shinji shifted his onslaught to the window they were using as an escape point, keeping the fire as far away from Orpheus and the children as possible.

"You kids ever want to fly?" Orph asked slyly before grabbing the first two and lifting them out of the window. Looking down, the kids saw Nikki point her hand at them as Orpheus let go. They gasped in fright but were shocked to find themselves floating down harmlessly to the ground. The process was repeated over and over again until all the children were safe. In fact, several children had been laughing on the way down. Sighing, Orpheus walked back and grabbed the groaning priest by the neck of his robe. "As much as I really wanna leave you here to burn, I doubt my friends would appreciate that. Come on."

He jumped out of the window and did a quick frontal flip before landing perfectly on his feet, the heavy armor putting a sizable crater in the ground upon his landing. The surrounding people began clapping and cheering wildly as the three blushed at the sudden applause. The police quickly surrounded them and took the priest into custody. The elderly police chief briskly strolled up and shook hands with the three young paranormal fighters.

"That was some impressive work you three did. How did you make those children float though? Some kind of magic?" he asked. Phoenix Squad glanced at each other before shrugging. It wouldn't hurt to tell the truth since their identities were secret for now.

"Actually sir," Shinji replied in a voice very different from his own, "magic was exactly how we did it. You may be surprised to know that magic is real, and there really are sorcerers out there. We just usually try to avoid the public eye because people would go on a wild witch hunt. The only reason we're telling you, however, is because these aren't our real appearances. We don't want people trying to hunt us down."

The chief laughed uproariously. "Hunt you? Kid, I wanna kiss you for the help you gave us today! That priest had us by the balls when he attacked that orphanage. And after that giant monster showing up the other day, magic doesn't exactly sound too far-fetched if you ask me. Tell you what: I'll make you three honorary members of the police force and give you official police protection from any witch-hunters. Just promise you'll help us out on occasion. We're starting to run short on officers since everyone's skipping town with those monsters attacking. By the way, I never introduced myself: Yasahiro Ogasa, chief of the Tokyo-3 Police Department. What do you three call yourselves?" he answered.

The three looked at each other. Hero names? Police protection from witch-hunters? This day was getting weirder by the minute. "Actually we never really thought about making names for ourselves. We'll let you know after we've thought about it some. You'll be pretty easy to track down at the department," Nikki said.

Ogasa nodded. "Good point. I'll be looking forward to seeing you three around sometime soon then," he said as the three took off down the street. As they rounded the corner, one of the junior officers ran up to his boss and looked at him strangely. "Sir, do you really believe that they were sorcerers? And were you serious about the police protection?" he asked.

The elder man gazed at his subordinate. "Of course I believe them, and yes I was serious about the protection. They just saved the lives of at least 50 children and you heard their reasons for why they used disguises. Personally, I can't blame them. I honestly wish we had more people like those three kids on the force," he responded.

"What makes you think they were children themselves, chief?" The officer questioned again.

"Too short to be adults...plus, their mannerisms were a tad teenager-like. Now then, Mozijo, get that so-called priest into lockdown at the department. I wanna question him personally about this whole thing."

"Yes sir." As the young officer walked away to carry out his orders, Ogasa turned back and chuckled. His job was about to become a lot more interesting, and he couldn't wait till he could see those three again. '_Good kids_,' he thought. '_Just a little green to the whole hero business..._'

**(Tokyo-3 Municipal Junior High School)  
**"Okay Orpheus," Shinji said in a soft voice as they passed through the school gates, "Mind explaining why you looked ready to go homicidal on that priest back there. Nikki and I have known you for ten long years, and you've never looked like that at _anybody _before. Not even Howard could goad you that badly."

The boy in question sighed. "You guys remember how I told you that I never really got along with my folks?" he asked. Seeing their nods, he continued. "That was because they hated me. I mean honest-to-god, completely satanic hate. They physically, mentally, and emotionally abused me for the four years I lived with them, though they treated my siblings as if they were saints. In fact, my brothers and sister sometimes even joined my parents in torturing me. I learned not to ask why real fast. Getting both your legs snapped with an iron pipe and your ribs crushed with a blacksmith's hammer can be pretty good motivation not to do something..."

Nikki gasped in horror. Shinji just looked at his best friend in shock. "Okay, that explains why you get moody at times. Hell, I'd be moody too if my family treated me like that. But what exactly does that have to do with Mr. Lover-of-God back there?" he replied.

"Ever since I left those people, the thought of other kids being hurt or killed when I can do something about it just pisses me off. I honestly wanted to break that guy's neck because of what he was trying to do to those children," Orpheus explained, his eyes closed tightly. Nikki wrapped her arms around him in a tender hug as Shinji stood there deep in thought.

'_Well this explains a lot. Orph never did feel comfortable talking about his home life, and now I know why_,' he thought as they approached the office to get their home room assignments. The younger Ikari heard his mother sigh softly in his mind.

'_How could anyone treat a child like that? At least Rokubungi never hurt you physically, even after I 'died'. If I ever get out of here and meet Orpheus's parents, they will sorely regret it..._' Yui said.

Dropping the subject for now, Nikki handed Orpheus his room assignment, and all three were estatic to find that they shared the same homeroom: Class 2-A. While looking for their class, the teens laughed quietly as they heard the other students chattering about their escapade at the orphanage.

"Did you hear about those three heroes that showed up this morning? My cousin said he saw the whole thing!" one student exclaimed.

"I think your cousin's delusional. There's no such thing as a superhero, especially in this day and age," another jibed.

"No, it's true! I was there too, and they really did come and save those kids. There were two guys and a girl, and one of the guys looked more like a villain than a hero. He was dressed in this really creepy black armor, but he was the one who actually charged into the burning building and saved everyone!" yet another one testified.

The school seemed to be split down the middle on the subject with half claiming the new heroes were real, while the other half was questioning what exactly their classmates were smoking this morning. All the hubbub was causing the three new students to stifle their giggles at the absolute absurdity of some of the rumors floating around.

Finding their class on the second floor proved to be rather simple, considering the organization of the rooms. Opening the door, Shinji and the others were immediately accosted by a short, freckled, dark-haired brunette with pigtails.

"You three must be the new transfers. My name is Hikari Horaki, and I'm the class representative for 2-A. Where are you guys from?" the girl questioned.

Deciding to give their so-called 'home addresses' rather than the school where they essentially grew up, Shinji answered, "Osaka-2."

"Bern, Switzerland."

"St. Louis, Missouri of the United States."

Hikari nodded. "So the two of you are foreigners? This class could use a little bit of diversity in it. I have to admit though, your Japanese is perfect. I almost couldn't tell you were gaijin," she said, a little surprised.

"Shinji taught us well. We've known him for years and we basically taught each other our native languages," Orpheus replied. Hikari smiled and herded the three to the front of the classroom as the ancient teacher walked in.

"All rise! Bow! Sit," Hikari commanded. The entire class shot up on her call to rise, like a military platoon in perfect form. Shinji grinned. '_It takes a strong-willed woman to get that kind of response out of people,_' he spoke to Yui. He could actually feel his mother nodding inside his head in response.

'_Indeed. She reminds me a little of myself when I was in school, though I wasn't quite _that _good at getting people to listen_,' the Ikari matriarch added.

"Well class, it appears that we have three new students joining us today. Now why don't you introduce yourselves kids?" the teacher started. Orpheus and Nikki nodded at Shinji, figuring it would be faster if he introduced the group.

"Hello everyone, I'm Shinji Ikari. The two behind me are my friends Orpheus Gundor from Switzerland and Nikki Hildebrandt from America. We all went to a boarding school in France and they came back to Japan with me after we finished our schooling. We're hoping to make some new friends, so if any of you guys wanna hang out with us, we're open to it."

A bespectacled boy in the back raised his hand. "Why don't your friends introduce themselves, and why did you guys come to Tokyo-3 with those monster attacks starting?" he asked.

Shinji blinked. "Well Mr.-?" He looked at the teacher for a name.

"Aida, Kensuke," the old man replied.

"Aida...I had to come back here for family reasons, and these two bozos wouldn't let me out of their sight. As for why they aren't introducing themselves, it just makes it faster for us to get started on class. It isn't like they're mutes or anything. Come to think of it, though, I do wish I had a mute button for them sometimes," Shinji explained.

Orpheus grabbed Shinji by the hair and yanked down. "Shut it, Ikari. I know where you sleep at night, remember?"

The shorter boy chuckled and backed down. While Shinji had a natural talent for pulling pranks, Orpheus knew a thing or two about public humiliation and wasn't afraid to hang the other boy on a flagpole by his boxers if he thought he deserved it.

Hikari watched the two boys with interest. The way they fought, you would have thought they were brothers. Standing up, she called their attention and told the three to sit down so class could start. Nikki grinned and grabbed both boys by the hair before dragging them to a set of seats in the back with Shinji and Orph struggling the whole way.

Once they were seated, the old teacher turned his back to the class and began his lecture on Second Impact. For all of Nikki's excellent study habits, even she wasn't immune to the droning voice of the old man and quickly dozed off with the rest of the class. Shinji and Orpheus, having never been the most _model_ students, were among the first to pass out. Only Hikari managed to stay awake for the entirety of the lecture.

The bell ringing jolted the three friends awake as the teacher glanced up at the bell. "That time already? Guess it's time for lunch," he said in his monotone voice. Everyone rushed out the door once realizing what time it was.

Walking out of the class, Nikki groaned, "Now I know why Japan scored so low on those education standards boards. The quality of the teachers is horrible!"

Shinji sighed. "Man, that's the first time I've actually seen you fall asleep in class Nikki. That guy could lull a hungry lion to sleep I bet," he said.

"Wanna see if that's true?" Orpheus asked with a smirk on his face. "I bet Renaldo could get us a lion."

Hikari and Kensuke walked up behind the trio. "Are you three always this sadistic?" the boy asked, prompting the trio to turn around.

"Only with teachers who sound like robots and a couple of our old acquaintances from boarding school," Nikki answered. Images of Sophia dangling from a window by her panties danced in the girl's head as she giggled to herself.

"Hey Nikki, can I talk to you for a second?" Hikari asked. The taller girl nodded and the pair walked away, the class rep calling back for Kensuke to tell 'Suzuhara' hello for her.

Kensuke turned back to the guys. "So you three went to boarding school in France?" he asked.

They nodded. "Yeah you can only get in by invitation, so it's a pretty selective school. By the way, who's this Suzuhara the class Rep mentioned?" Shinji asked.

"Touji Suzuhara, my best friend. His sister got hurt in that monster attack the other day, and he's been visiting her at the hospital every day since. You guys wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

Shinji choked. A girl was hurt while he was fighting in the Eva? "Crap..." he muttered.

Kensuke heard him. "So you do know something about it! What exactly was that robot they say that fought the monster off? Were you the pilot?" The military otaku started firing off questions so fast it was almost impossible to see his lips moving.

Shinji groaned loudly. "Double crap...there isn't much I can say about it Ken, it's classified stuff but it's true that I'm one of the pilots. All I really think I can tell you for now are that it's called Evangelion and it was built specifically to fight off the Angels, which for some reason is what NERV calls that monster that showed up. I'll ask my superior officer Misato if there's any other information that can be given to civilians," he said.

The other boy was nodding excitedly, hanging onto every word Shinji spat out. This was the stuff he lived for!

Orpheus suddenly remembered what Kensuke had said earlier. "Hold on, I thought everyone was supposed to be in a shelter. How could Suzuhara's sister have gotten hurt?" he demanded.

Kensuke looked down. "Apparently she snuck away from Touji on the way to the shelter. The doctors are saying she may never walk again..." he told them.

Orpheus pulled Shinji closer. "Listen Shin," he whispered. "Don't get upset about this. We'll see if Renaldo can bring Madame Sorona with him when he comes here. If anyone can heal the girl's legs, it's her."

Shinji sighed again and nodded. It wouldn't do well for him to lose his composure now, especially since the Evangelion was still supposed to be classified knowledge to his awareness. He couldn't give away any more info until he knew what was fine to say and what wasn't.

"I see. We actually know a doctor from our boarding school that may be able to help, but we'll send her a letter to see if she can look at Suzuhara's sister. What's the girl's name?" Shinji offered.

Kensuke looked at the two with shock. "You guys know a doctor? Touji will be excited when he hears this. Oh, and his sister's name is Mari."

Orpheus shrugged and clapped the sandy-haired boy on the shoulder, nearly bowling him over. "Don't sweat it. We can't exactly do nothing when a little girl needs help. Now then, tell us more about this Touji. Shinji and I would like to meet him and apologize for her getting hurt out there."

With the girls, Hikari had dragged Nikki into an empty classroom and looked at her wistfully. "You do know that all the boys are gonna be asking you for dates with that chest of yours, right? For that matter, how can your breasts be so big?" the shorter girl asked bluntly.

Nikki blushed and cupped her bosom while looking at it thoughtfully. "To be perfectly honest, these guys are natural. I didn't have to do anything...they just _grew _like this. As for the boys, I'm afraid that I'll be turning down a lot of date offers in the near future. Had to do it at boarding school and I don't expect it to be any different here," she said.

Hikari smiled. "There's a guy you already like, isn't there? One of those two?" Hikari questioned, jerking her finger towards the hall.

If anything, Nikki's blush got even deeper. "Yeah...I've liked Orpheus for years but he still hasn't asked me out yet."

"Then why don't you ask him out yourself?"

"Call me old-fashioned about this, but I think the guy should ask the girl on a date and not the other way around."

Hikari giggled and leaned back against a desk. "I'll ask my sister Kodama about maybe taking you shopping for some new clothes. Some that'll definitely get Orpheus's attention. You should take a little more initiative too and flirt with him a little more. Then again, maybe I should practice what I preach..." she said softly.

A gleam appeared in Nikki's eyes. "Oh ho, so there's a guy that _you_ like too? What's he like?"

"He's got a sweet and sensitive side, but he's stubborn to a fault and acts like a pig at times, which is why I've been having thoughts about just looking for somebody else. That and neither of my sisters, Kodama and Nozomi, approves of him," the darker-haired brunette explained with a blush forming on her own cheeks.

Nikki fixed Hikari with a cock-eyed stare. "Interesting. Maybe your sisters are onto something, so why don't you ask them for advice? I'm the oldest in my family, so I don't have any older siblings to look up to. I would ask my mom, but she's a bloody pervert..." She shifted her eyes to the side as she side this, though a grin was plastered all over her face.

Both girls snickered a little at that. "Well I'll talk with Kodama about taking us shopping for some clothes. My two sisters and I live with our dad, who works at NERV, so getting out shouldn't be difficult on the weekend," Hikari offered. Nikki nodded and the two shook hands, sealing their friendship.

"We better catch the boys. Orpheus sometimes forgets his own strength and Aida doesn't exactly look very durable," Nikki warned. Hikari looked at her strangely.

"Is Orpheus strong?"

"Too strong at times. If he wanted to, he could pick me up with one arm and run a couple miles without getting tired, and I'm not exactly a feather. Hell, I eat more than the boys do usually."

The freckled girl gulped audibly. "And what about Shinji?" she asked.

Nikki smirked. "Shinji's the only person I know who can beat Orpheus in a fight on an even playing field. He doesn't have Orph's raw physical strength, but he's stronger than he looks and makes up for it with his size and speed."

Hikari blushed. "Wow..."

Nikki giggled lightly, just imagining what was going through her friend's head at that moment. "Hopefully you won't have to see those two use their full strength. They only go all out when there's trouble, which is something we want to avoid here." That said, the taller girl smiled and the two quietly slipped out of the classroom to find their friends.

And so Phoenix Squad's life in Tokyo-3 begins.

**(Tokyo-3: H-Block Housing Area)  
**"So what exactly are we doing watch-dog duty for, Tak? This Gendo Ikari already has a considerable entourage, so why do we have to watch him without his knowing about it?" Edge grumbled, lying stretched out on the rooftop of an abandoned apartment building while rubbing a strange looking gauntlet on his arm. He had better things to be doing rather than trying to protect somebody with more bodyguards than the American president, like hunting Gundor down.

"You heard the boss, Edge. Gendo is important to his plans, so his survival is necessary for the moment. Apparently, even his security has weaknesses, so our job is to plug those up. Besides, the boss said that he's related to our Ikari so if we tail _him_, there's a good chance we'll find those three bastards," Tak snapped back, wearing the exact same gauntlet on his own arm as he waved it dismissively. He didn't like being forced into this dump any more than Edge did, but if tailing NERV's Commander could lead him to Shinji, then it was worth it. He would do anything to settle his differences with the other sorcerer.

"You guys are obsessed," Sophia said as she filed her nails, her arm also sporting the unique armwear. The girl couldn't understand what it was about the boys that made them want to beat the crap out of Shinji and Orpheus. She and Nikki may have hated each other, but she never wanted to hurt her. Too much work, in her opinion.

"Perhaps you aren't serious enough Sophia," Takumi snarled.

"Maybe," she replied, giving her squad leader a dull gaze. "But at least I'm not ready to go homicidal over a school grudge. You two can't be serious about trying to kill Phoenix Squad, are you?"

"The boss said that Ikari is too dangerous to be left alive for long. Those three are apparently the biggest threat to his plans, so if we can take them out soon, we have to. Why do you think he gave us these Devil Gauntlets? And it'll make me feel better, anyway, knowing I can get him back for all those years of him showing me up."

Sophia simply huffed and went back to filing. She may have been lazy, but she wasn't stupid. If Tak and Edge tried to force their rival's hands, then things would get ugly real fast. And the girl seriously doubted her teammates could take Shinji and Orpheus in a two-on-two battle, even with the gauntlets. Their opponents were just too skilled and expert at working together.

She would just have to wait and see.

* * *

**That takes care of Chapter 3. Sorry I took so long with getting it uploaded, but things have been hectic with trying to get ready for my ex-wife to give birth to our second daughter. We're scheduled to have a c-section done on Monday, so we've been making some last minute preparations.**

**Alright, now for the voting standings. I have to admit that I'm very shocked here. Take a look for yourselves:**

**Rei: 10**

**Misato: 8**

**Hikari: 5**

**Sophia: 5**

**Asuka: 4**

**New O/C: 2**

**Maya: 1**

**I honestly thought that this voting would turn into a race between Rei and Asuka as these kind of polls usually do, but here I find that it's devolved into essentially a slugfest pitting REI vs. MISATO! I will say though that doing a ship with Shinji and Misato would definitely offer an interesting challenge for me. Misato is easily my second favorite Eva girl next to Rei. Still, the fact that Asuka is in a distant 4th place is really surprising to me.**

**Rei will make her major debut in the next chapter, so all you Rei-lovers out there don't fret. Keep sending those reviews and all the great feedback. I'm trying not to make our heroes come off as too strong, and the next chapter will definitely make them seem more mortal to those who believe them as super powered.**

**Next time on The Angel Wars, Chapter 4: Battle! Phoenix Squad vs. Dragon Squad.**

**Until next time, this is BeastLord Zwieg signing off. Enjoy the fic!**


	4. Battle! Phoenix Squad vs Dragon Squad

**Disclaimer: Gainax owns Evangelion. I am not making any profit from this fic, so don't hit me with a lawsuit or I'll hit you with a sledgehammer.**

_**Author Notes and Review Answers:**_

**1) Thanks for the new reviews everyone. I'm glad to see that the fic has got some fans, but hopefully more and more people read it as it gets longer. I'm estimating that this fic will probably have at least 25, if not 30, chapters before I'm done.**

**2) I'm happy to see people voting in the ship poll more and more as things go on. Remember, you have until Chapter 7 to make your vote, so don't hesitate.**

**3) Good news! My daughter was born at 3:30 AM Monday morning and is perfectly healthy. My ex-wife decided to name her Fera, which is Hindi for a lotus flower. **

**LoPe21: Thank you for your feedback again and you bring up some very good questions. But yes, Nikki and Hikari will be the main reason Rei comes out of her shell eventually, though Shinji will play a big part as well. Touji and Kensuke will have some sense smacked into them too early on, as I'm a bit of a non-conformist and think they need to be more than just supporting characters. As for Yui's new body, I have a feeling everyone who reads this fic will be a tad surprised by what I have in store for her later on. Also, I've taken note of your vote change and it will be reflected in the standings at the end of this chapter.**

**t: You will actually find out what the Devil Gauntlets are in this chapter, as there is a HUGE fight scene coming up. Hope you enjoy it! And thanks for your vote.**

**CB93: You will find that I can be a very bizarre person. Last time I went to see a shrink, I made the shrink need a shrink hehe.**

**RDF-73: Well we're gonna find out just who gets to bag Shinji by Chapter 7, depending on who wins the polls. And thanks for the congrats. I just spent most of Sunday evening and Monday morning locked in a freezing hospital while waiting for this kid to pop out...**

**Okay, that takes care of all the important stuff for now. On with the story!**

* * *

NGE Magic Files, Book 1: The Angel Wars  
By BeastLord Zwieg

Chapter 4: Battle! Phoenix Squad vs. Dragon Squad

In the two weeks following Phoenix Squad's arrival in Tokyo-3, the trio became something of a controversy among the student body. The junior gang members who attended Tokyo-3 Municipal Junior High found them to be highly annoying, considering they had quickly garnered a reputation as gangbusters and would frequently beat the crap out of any gangs that were causing trouble. As a result, gang violence in the surrounding area had dropped substantially. The other students found the three very friendly and always eager to listen to their classmates' problems if time allowed. Between Shinji's training at NERV and Phoenix Squad's own personal paranormal studies, however, there wasn't too much time for recreation. Due to Orpheus and Nikki's initial introduction to NERV, Misato had requested a security clearance for them, tagging them as Shinji's bodyguards to make it official. To her delight, it was swiftly approved by Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki, who had told her that NERV needed all the help it could get against the Angels.

Also, Gendo had finally been released from NERV Medical following his unexpected swim in the bakelite pool, and was causing misery everywhere he went to vent his anger. Upon finding out that Shinji was living next to his Operations Director, he had immediately tried to force him into the slums of H-block. Misato had been pissed and enlisted the aid of the Sub-Commander in procuring Shinji's test results from Eva training. In the face of the facts, which showed that Shinji was quite comfortable with his arrangements and had steadily improved as a pilot, Gendo was forced to allow his estranged son to stay in his current quarters. In addition, Rei had also been released from the Med Ward and would be attending school again starting today.

Yui hadn't been very pleased with her ex-husband when the whole housing fiasco started. She was still trying to figure out what exactly she could do inside her son's head and how to get out. One thing she _had _discovered though was that, as a soul, she could possess Shinji's body with his consent. Boy had that one freaked Misato out when Shinji started talking in a feminine voice and acting like a young woman. Nikki and Orpheus were still plotting ways to use that skill in a prank.

Shinji had finally received a reply from Renaldo. The older man had managed to convince Sorona, the school physician, to accompany him to Japan to try and help Mari Suzuhara. Kensuke was estatic when he heard that, as Touji would be coming back to class the next day after spending two weeks looking after his sister. The two would be arriving in a month's time.

As the three teens strolled through the school gates this morning, they found Kensuke and Hikari eagerly pulling a brown haired boy wearing a track suit towards them.

"Hey guys, this is Touji, the friend I told you about," the shorter boy exclaimed happily. Touji didn't look too happy though, and he glared hard at the Third Child.

"Ken told me that you're the one who was piloting that damn robot when my sister got hurt," he growled in a thick Osakan accent. Shinji nodded silently and stepped forward.

"I won't make any excuses for what happened Suzuhara," he said. "However, I just want you to know that NERV sent me out to fight on the assumption that everybody was safe in the shelters. Had I known that an innocent was wandering around, I would have been much more careful or led the Angel away from the city. I'm sorry for what happened, and if you still think I deserve punishment, then feel free to sock me in the face if it'll make you feel better."

The taller boy stepped back in shock. He hadn't expected a full blown apology from the new kid, and the way in which he said it gave Touji pause, though only for a second. Anger surged through him as he pulled his arm back and sucker-punched Shinji right in the nose, though the male pilot barely moved backwards from the blow. "Sorry man, but I really needed to get that out of my system. Ken said you know a doctor that could help my sister. Is that true?" he finally answered after rubbing his sore hand for a couple minutes. He felt as if he had punched a brick wall just then.

Shinji nodded, softly tapping his nose to make sure it was still in one piece. Even with all his training, that punch had still stung. "Yeah, my old teacher's bringing her with him in about a month. Just tell Mari to keep her chin up, cause Madame Sorona specializes in these kinds of cases," he said with a smile on his face.

Touji sighed and smiled back. "Thanks. Other than my dad, Mari's all I got left and I don't want anything to happen to her. I guess we should officially introduce ourselves then. I'm Touji Suzuhara." He held out his hand, which Shinji shook hard.

"And I'm Shinji Ikari. It's a pleasure to meet you." Laughing, Orpheus and Nikki stepped up and shook hands with him too.

"Welcome to the group Touji. I'm Orpheus Gundor. Nice punch by the way."

"I'm Nicole Hildebrandt, but you can call me Nikki."

Touji blushed hard on seeing Nikki. Her uniform was extremely snug around her sizable chest, and the boy began bleeding lightly at the nose. Nikki smirked and put her hands on her hips. "Keep staring Suzuhara, and they might do a trick. _Not_. My eyes are up here pal," she snickered, much to his embarrassment.

Hikari pulled him by the ear. "Touji you really need to learn some manners. Now let's get to class before the bell rings," she said firmly, though Nikki could hear the warmth in her voice as she said it. Shinji chuckled and followed his friends inside, but he stopped when he turned around and saw Rei walk onto the grounds.

"You guys go ahead, and I'll catch up," he called back as he ran towards the blunette. Rei watched Shinji curiously. She had been waiting for over a week for a chance to talk with the Commander's son and now was her chance.

'_Shinji...this may sound strange, but looking at that girl I get the feeling I'm staring at a mirror that makes me 15 years younger,_' Yui informed her son as they approached the young girl.

'_Really? Weird...I'm not sure I can see the resemblance,_' Shinji responded. The First Child stepped forward and cocked her head in confusion at the thoughtful look on her fellow pilot's face.

"Greetings Pilot Ikari," Rei said in her soft but stoic voice.

"Morning, Miss Ayanami. Are you feeling any better? I noticed that most of your bandages are gone," Shinji replied, focusing his full attention on her.

"I am well. Most of what remains are just minor scratches that must finish healing."

Shinji smiled and walked next to her as they entered the building. "That's good. I understand that you were injured during the activation test for Eva Unit-00..."

"Correct. It was the Commander who saved me," Rei answered.

The youngest Ikari to his credit kept his temper in check at the mention of his father. "I see...it amazes me how that man is willing to protect you, and yet he never seemed to care whether I lived or died."

Rei grimaced as she turned her piercing gaze upon Shinji. "I do not understand. The Commander is your father, and yet you talk of him with such contempt in your tone. Why do you not trust him?" she asked.

Shinji sighed and stopped, turning Rei towards him so he could look her in the eyes. "Rei, please try to understand what I tell you. Gendo abandoned me at the age of four not even a week after my mother passed away. He never once attempted to contact me or check on my health for the next ten years. Then, out of nowhere, he sends a letter demanding that I return to him just so I can be his unwilling puppet. How can I place trust a man who has done nothing to deserve it from me and everything to shatter what trust I may have had in him? You may trust him, but I just want to warn you that he will throw you away if he thinks you are of no use to him. That's just the kind of person he is," he said slowly, punctuating each word so that Rei clearly heard what he was saying.

The crimson eyed girl looked at the young man facing her with amazement. The Commander had never informed her of these events from his past. He had deemed them irrelevant when she had asked as a child. Perhaps that was why she never knew Shinji had existed until his arrival during the Third Angel's attack. What if Pilot Ikari was right? Would the Commander toss her aside if he believed her to be useless? Thinking back on his earlier actions and words, she found Shinji's logic to be iron-clad. Gendo Ikari never kept anyone around once their jobs had been completed. She had even heard the Sub-Commander wondering aloud when his former student would discard him. It was then that she realized that Gendo hadn't saved her from the entry plug out of love...it was because he still thought of her as a useful tool in his plans.

She stared hard at the ground. In a few short sentences, Shinji had done what many would have deemed impossible: he put a sizable crack in Gendo's control over Rei. "You have given me much to think about Ikari-kun. I may have questions later that I require assistance in answering. Would you be willing to help me?" she questioned after a long pause.

Shinji nodded. "I may not be the best source of information, but if you need help, I'd be honored to give it to you. You could also ask my friends Orpheus and Nikki if I'm not around, though I'd rather you ask Nikki. Orpheus can get...agitated at times if you aren't careful with your questioning. He's had some problems with his parents too."

Rei nodded. "Very well. Thank you...Ikari-kun." The pair finally reached the class as Shinji opened the door and let Rei in ahead of him. The entire class was watching them with interest. Nobody had been able to get close to the so-called "Ice Queen of Tokyo-3" for more than a minute or two without annoying her, yet Shinji had plainly walked her in from the school gates.

Orpheus smirked at his friend as the smaller boy sat down, Rei taking her own place next to the window. "I was wondering when she would show up. Those must have been some nasty wounds she had when we first saw her. And why the hell are you looking at me like that?" he stopped short on seeing Shinji give him a critical gaze.

"Orph...does Rei look at all like me? I'm curious," Shinji answered. Orpheus cocked an eye at his best friend and gave Rei a thorough once-over.

"Hmm. Your facial structures are similar, but other than that, I'm not seeing much. Maybe you guys are distant cousins?"

"Possible, but I was wondering because Mom said that Rei looks like she did when she was young."

This got Orpheus's attention. "Really? That thought bears some questioning, and I'll bet my vial belt that your old man's at the root of the situation," the taller boy conceded. He was starting to develop the same dislike for Gendo that he had for his parents. Everywhere that man went, trouble and secrets seemed to follow like lost puppies.

Their conversation ended as Hikari barked for the class to rise and bow to the ancient teacher. Even after two weeks of trying to get used to his constant lecturing on Second Impact, Phoenix Squad still couldn't last more than ten minutes before falling unconscious. Luckily, the self-study group they had joined kept them from falling behind the other classes.

Before anyone knew it, lunch period had arrived. Shinji and his friends quickly snatched a bench near a large sakura tree on the south end of the grounds. Hikari and Kensuke were filling Touji in on what the new students had been up to since their arrival when Shinji spotted Rei and waved her over.

"Is there something you wish to speak with me about, Ikari-kun?" the girl asked as she stood next to the group.

"Not really, Rei. I was just wondering if you wanted to join us for lunch. 'The more, the merrier' as they say," Shinji replied. In the back of his subconscious, Yui kept racking her brain to find a reason why the enigmatic First Child looked so much like her.

"Are you certain? I am unsure of how to participate in...gatherings such as this," Rei answered, a light blush coloring her cheeks.

"There's not really much to it, Rei," Nikki cut in. "Why don't you come with me and Hikari on a shopping trip on Sunday and we'll show you how to act more like a teenager should? It's our day off and the malls are having a bunch of sales. It'll be a girls' day out!"

Rei's body shivered nervously. "I believe I would simply be a hindrance to you."

Hikari shook her head. "Nonsense, Rei! Who knows? You may even have fun. Just come with us and see how you like it," she added. Rei's blank look barely left her face throughout the conversation, though Shinji could tell that she was nervous and feeling shy by watching her body language.

Suddenly, his spiritual senses went off like a fire siren. He looked at Orpheus and Nikki, both of whom had gone stock still. "You guys felt that too?" he whispered.

Nikki began sweating lightly. "Yeah...but where is it coming from?" she replied.

Orpheus's eyes began darting everywhere, though the rest of the group didn't seem to notice their anxiety yet. They were too focused on convincing Rei to go shopping. A swift movement was caught in the corner of his eye, and his head swiveled hard to the rooftops.

"There!" he hissed. His comment drew everyone's attention upward, where three shadowy figures ducked backwards. Hikari blinked in confusion.

"Who were they?" she asked.

Touji scratched his head and shrugged. "No clue. You guys know?" he directed the question to Shinji and the others.

Phoenix Squad shared a look. "It couldn't have been..." Orpheus murmured. Nikki was glaring at the building with contempt.

"Impossible. Why would they follow us all the way here. Plus, there's no way they gave off that signal. It was too strong," she said.

"Sorry that we're out of the loop, but who exactly are you guys talking about?" Kensuke asked. The trio turned their heads back to their friends and shared another glance before Shinji spoke up.

"We think that they might have been a couple of our old schoolmates that enjoyed giving us a hard time. As much as I hate to say it though, I wouldn't be surprised if Tak had dragged them here for the sole purpose of hunting me down," he answered.

Orpheus chuckled. "I doubt that he would've had to drag Edge anywhere. After our last fight on graduation day, I can't help but think something snapped in his head. He swore to prove himself better than me, no matter what, and frankly that creeped me out a bit."

The four non-sorcerers were watching their friends stupidly. "Pardon my ignorance," Rei started. "But who exactly are you speaking of, and why would they hunt you?"

Nikki was the one who piped up for this question. "Their names are Takumi Hirohino, Edge Howard, and Sophia Zetos. They were essentially our rivals at boarding school and they loved trying to annoy us to no end. We usually ended up pranking them or beating the stuffing out of them, but they're more stubborn than bulls. If they really did follow us here, I think we may be a spot of trouble," she explained seriously.

Hikari gulped. She remembered what Nikki had said about Shinji and Orpheus showing their true strength when trouble showed up. She really hoped that those people would stay away, as she didn't want to think about any of her friends getting hurt.

"We'll worry about them later. For now, let's try to enjoy our lunch," Shinji decided, taking a big slurp from his noodle bowl. Unfortunately, the teens could think of nothing but the shadowy figures from the rooftop, and those thoughts dogged them all the way until the final bell rang.

**(Streets of Tokyo-3)  
**"Hey guys we'll walk you home. No sense in risking your safety with a couple of weirdoes running around," Shinji declared as the group, now including a nervous Rei, strolled through southern downtown towards the housing districts.

"I'm confused, Ikari-kun. Why would you need to worry about our safety when these intruders are after you? And Section-2 should be able to deal with any situation that arises," the blunette said logically.

Shinji simply chuckled. "I doubt my old man's goon squad could last more than a couple seconds against these three. And with the possible exception of Sophia, they're crazy enough to attack you guys if it will give them a chance to hurt us," he told them calmly.

Nikki wrapped her arms around Rei and Hikari. "Oh well, you boys can talk about depressing stuff if you want. We'll go on ahead and plan our trip," she said as she pushed the two other girls forward at a steady march until they were well out of earshot.

"Girls...I'll never understand why they always love to shop," Orpheus joked, coming to a stop to look in the window of a small store. Whenever Nikki took him shopping, he always ended up becoming her mall donkey and carried the bags everywhere. Still, if it made her happy, then he was willing to endure it.

"That makes all of us dude," Touji responded, his eyes following the class rep a little too obviously. Shinji simply laughed. One of the things that endeared the American girl to him and Orph was the fact that she always tried to keep a positive outlook on things. She loved to claim that she was born with a sunny disposition, and her actions tended to prove it.

A loud screeching noise drew the boys' attention towards a hill to their east. A driver appeared to be speeding down the hill, though shockingly no police cars were behind it. Orpheus glared slightly as he figured it was a drunken fool out for a joyride. Then he felt his gut instincts screamed at him that something wasn't right. So, figuring to be better safe than sorry, he squinted his eyes and peered harder. What he saw, or rather _didn't see_, made his blood run cold: there was nobody driving the car!

"Guys, I think we may have a problem..." he said slowly. The others watched the car with interest as the wheels made a slight turn to its right. Orpheus gasped as he finally saw what was happening.

"Shit! That thing's heading right for the girls!" he yelled, tearing off after the three females that had just stepped onto the crosswalk. Shinji's eyes bulged as he too noticed the distinct lack of an operator in the vehicle.

"Dammit, he isn't going to make it, even going all out. To hell with secrecy!" Shinji exclaimed. Touji and Kensuke looked at the other boy strangely as he stuck out his hand and cried "Tornado Shot!"

Before they could ask what he was doing, anything they would've said instantly died in their throats as a beam of emerald green light as wide as a tennis ball erupted from his hand and slammed into Orpheus's back. Instead of punching through the Swiss boy like they thought it would, the beam only tore the back of his shirt apart while propelling him at astounding speed towards the girls.

"Nikki, Hikari, Rei! Get outta there!" Orph screamed, prompting the shocked trio to turn around. Nikki gasped upon noticing the car. But it was too late for them to dodge...

The light haired brunette shut her eyes on instinct. '_Damn it all, I'm gonna be turned into roadkill because I forgot to check my surroundings! I couldn't even tell him how I feel..._' she thought sadly, waiting for the impact.

Only it didn't come.

A loud crash forced her eyes open to see something she should have expected. Instead of doing what most people would perceive as logical and heroic and shoving the girls out of the way, Orpheus had collided shoulder-first right into the side of the car. With the Tornado Shot to give him extra momentum, the young alchemist had literally bent the car into the shape of a boomerang, forcing it to stop a mere two meters from the three startled young women as the wheels flew off from the force of the hit.

"Typical Orpheus..." Nikki said dryly. "Never does _anything _half-assed when trying to help somebody."

Hikari fell backwards on her ass, stammering incoherently as her mind started piecing things together. "It was _you_!" she exclaimed.

Nikki slapped a hand over her mouth as Shinji pulled Touji and Kensuke over. Together, Phoenix Squad dragged the four into a deserted alleyway as curious onlookers began surrounding the totaled car. It was only through a miracle that the street had been deserted during the entire thing.

The class rep quickly broke away once they got into the alleyway. "You guys are those three heroes that showed up at the orphanage on your first day. I knew something was odd about the whole thing, but I never said anything because you looked so different. What's going on here?"

Shinji sighed. "I promise we'll tell you guys, but first we gotta find who was controlling that car, and I'll bet my ass it was Takumi," he said.

Rei blinked. "You mean the one who is hunting you?" she questioned.

Orpheus nodded and began looking around everywhere, his chest now bare after having torn off the remains of his shirt. "Correct. There was nobody inside the car, which means somebody was controlling it through other means." Turning around, he caught a figure ducking deeper into the alley.

"Bingo. They're behind us," he said. The group of teenagers gave chase, somehow managing to keep up with the cloaked figure.

'_This is too easy..._' Yui warned. '_Be careful kids. It may be a trap_.'

The teens soon found themselves in an abandoned construction site near H-Block, though their quarry was nowhere to be found. Glancing about, Phoenix Squad felt the high levels of mana energy in the air. Even though Orpheus couldn't use mana, he had still trained himself to sense its presence.

"Where did those ratty little bastards run off to?" Orpheus growled. "There's so much mana in the air I can't get a good read on them."

"You mean us?" a voice snarled from the dark innards of the rotted building frame ahead. The group tensed as Dragon Squad emerged. Nikki looked at their arms.

"Interesting hardware you guys have," she commented.

Sophia shrugged. "I didn't exactly want this blasted thing. Too fucking ugly in my opinion. These are called Devil Gauntlets, and our boss forged them for us from the scales of a gola gola specifically to beat you three," she explained.

Touji scratched his head stupidly. "A what?"

"The gola gola is a snake-like species of demon that lives in the volcanic regions of the Nether Realm. The boss had a bit of trouble killing this one, since they're extremely aggressive, but the gauntlets increase our overall strength by a large amount," Sophia continued, looking at the Osakan boy with a hint of pity.

Orpheus stared hard at the three and pulled out the spectral analyzer, pointing it at the trio before activating it. After several beeps, a set of numbers popped on the screen. The tall Swiss's eyes widened. "Oh shit..."

Shinji tilted his head to his friend. "What's wrong Orph?"

"She wasn't joking about that power increase. Their levels were between 49,000 and 53,000 when we left school, but now they range from 75,000 to 79,000. Low B-class!"

Shinji whirled to face their opponents again. "Well damn...this is gonna be harder than I thought. What about us, Orph? Any major change in our strength since we got to Tokyo-3?" he asked.

Orpheus quickly performed a scan of Phoenix Squad. "Not much, we've only been out of school for two weeks. But Doc Akagi's training equipment was good for something. Nikki's at 57K, I'm at 63K, and you're at 65K Shinji."

"Crap," Nikki growled. "We're still C-class, but these bozos have the power of a B-class. We're gonna have to play it smart here."

Edge smirked as he leapt onto the rickety skeletal structure of the decaying building, unsheathing his sword. "Enough talk. Let's finish this!" he yelled, flaring his spirit energy to enhance his muscles. Rei and the others stepped backwards in terror at seeing the other boy's body suddenly bulge to twice its original size.

Shinji looked back at the non-fighters. "You four stay back. This is going to get really ugly," he commanded. As they backed away, Phoenix Squad's leader walked forward and glared hard at Takumi.

Orpheus focused spirit energy into his legs and jumped after Edge, sliding a ring off of his right index finger. Suddenly, his clothing transformed into his original outfit from school. Shinji and Nikki did likewise, reverting their clothes back to their combat uniforms. While Shinji and Takumi stood in the large barren area in front of the building, Nikki and Sophia faced each other 20 meters away close to some left behind construction vehicles and equipment.

Shinji and Tak circled each other, neither one taking their eyes off the other. Smirking, Tak snapped his fingers and sent a stream of lightning at the other sorcerer. Shinji dove to the side to dodge, with one of the bolts grazing his shoulder, and fired off a Zan Brando at his opponent's feet. The orb exploded upon hitting the ground and Tak was blown off his feet, landing hard on his back. Shinji grinned and dove into the rising smokescreen. "Let's do this Hirohino!" he yelled as he channeled more mana into his hands, biting back the throbbing pain in his shoulder.

Orpheus bounced on the tips of his feet, keeping his knees bent as Edge pointed his massive blade at the shorter fighter. "I swore that I would be better than you, Gundor, and now I'll prove it!" Edge cried as he charged, bringing the weapon back to deliver a horizontal slash. Swinging in rage, Edge was surprised as Orpheus did a front-flip over the sword and, with his feet coming back towards the ground, hammered both boots right into his nose. The dark-skinned fighter was thrown back and collided hard with a steel beam. Orph chuckled and surged forward, wheeling his body into a spin. "Burst Rondo!" he roared, smashing his right fist into Edge's gut. He followed up by connecting his left fist with the taller boy's solar plexus, then spinning around again and landing a devastating roundhouse kick to Edge's skull. However, the swordsman spun in the direction of the blow and backhanded Orpheus across the face. The martial artist was sent stumbling backwards and got back up slowly, glaring at Edge with blood running down his nose. "Heh, apparently you're tougher than last time. Guess I better change my strategy," he said as he got back up and slipped into another stance, taking a metal vial and swallowing it .

Nikki unhooked her chakram and spun them around in her hands, waiting for the right moment to throw. Sophia had extracted her steel whip and was whirling it around like a fishing line ready to be cast out. The brunette eyed the shorter girl carefully. "Judging from what I know about you, this doesn't seem like something you would enjoy," she said calmly.

"Of course not, but I still have a bone to pick with you Hildebrandt. Now get over here!" Sophia shrieked, lashing at Nikki's legs. She was ready though, and parried the whip back with a wave of her chakram. As Sophia prepared to retract her attack, Nikki tossed the other bladed ring, aiming for her arm. The black-haired girl hurled herself away to avoid the weapon, and scrambled back to her feet. She channeled mana into her hand and swept it in an arc, yelling "Gan Spiker!" Small stone spears shot from Sophia's hand. Nikki held out her hand and snapped her fingers. "Barrier!" A silver shield surrounder the young medic but when the spears hit, they pierced straight through. Nikki was forced to dive to the ground to avoid getting skewered. The shorter sorceress looked at the gauntlet with a new respect. "Cool. Even your shields can't hold up to this thing. Looks like I'll win for sure this time."

Shinji erected a wall of earth to his side to protect himself from the stray spears Sophia had launched. Takumi's pained shout of "Damn you Sophie, aim at them. _NOT ME!_" seconds later told him that the other boy didn't have as much foresight. The two continued trading spells back and forth like a demented game of ping pong, though unfortunately Tak didn't seem to be slowing down.

"Looks like those gauntlets increase their endurance as well as their power," Shinji muttered to himself as he avoided another lightning bolt. His aim had also improved as well, since Shinji was starting to be covered in cuts from all the near misses. He groaned as another spell struck him in the knee, temporarily paralyzing it. Shinji collapsed and took a deep breath as Takumi advanced with a dark grin spread across his face.

"You are nothing to me Ikari. This is for all those times you and your friends humiliated me!" he screamed, raising his hand and forming a shell of lightning around it in the form of a claw. Just as he was about to strike, a large rock hit him square in the right eye and sent him staggering backwards. "Dammit! What the...?"

His eyes shifted to the side, where Rei, Touji, Kensuke, and Hikari all stood next to a pile of stones. "Leave him alone," Touji warned, reeling back to throw another one. Tak smirked and turned his attention towards the former non-combatants.

Too bad he foolishly forgot about his original opponent...

Shinji forced himself back to his feet and fired another Zan Brando, this time aiming for Tak's chest. The lightning specialist didn't notice the attack until it had slammed into him and exploded, sending him flying until he crashed into a pile of old rusty metal. Shinji smirked and stood straight as he unsheathed his daggers. "Looks like I just got my second wind, Hirohino. Now why don't you try worrying about me and not my friends? Cross Cutter!" he exclaimed, sending an x-shaped blade of energy straight into the junk pile.

Orpheus choked back some blood as he backed away from Edge slowly. His right arm hung limply at his side, an ugly looking gash running down the side, and the rest of his body was bloody, bruised, and generally looked as if it had come out of a losing fight with a meat grinder. The taller swordsman meanwhile was barely even breathing hard, with minimal damage done to him. Orpheus growled. Something in Edge's mind had obviously snapped. It was like he was just playing with him for now, and waiting for him to fall down for good before finishing him.

"This is getting me nowhere..." he groaned, keeping his eyes firmly focused on the gauntlet. '_If only I could do something about that thrice-damned thing and his sword, I might have a chance. Edge never could keep up with me in hand-to-hand combat,_' he thought to himself. So far every attack he had tried had been effeciently countered or repelled. On the other hand, nothing he did could stop his opponent's enhanced body from breaking through his defensive stances like a hot knife through butter.

"You look like a wreck Gundor. Just give up now and beg for it and I promise I'll kill you quickly," Edge said, pointing the tip of his blade at Orpheus's heart. The shorter boy simply spat some blood from his mouth and flipped him the bird.

"Fuck you Howard. I never give up, and I never beg. I'm still standing, aren't I, so this fight isn't over yet," he snapped back.

Edge chuckled and shook his head. "True, but it will be soon. And I'm going to enjoy ripping your heart out through your ribcage."

'_Yep, definitely out of his mind. Now how can I outsmart him? Even with pewter, none of my blows can deal enough damage to hurt him, so maybe I ought to soften him up a bit._' Suddenly, a proverbial light bulb went off in Orph's head. '_That should do the trick. If it doesn't, then I am so fucking boned...literally, most likely._' His plan devised, the boy tossed a smoke bomb at the ground to give him some cover as he ducked down and prepared himself.

Nikki dived behind a bulldozer as another wave of Gan Spiker spears flew overhead. None of her shield spells had any effect, and her offensive spell arsenal wasn't extensive enough to shift the fight in her favor. So far all she could do was dodge and try to wait for Sophia to make a mistake. Fortunately for the taller girl, Sophia's skill in aiming was barely passable, so she had only suffered minor damage. "This is ridiculous! That gauntlet lets her puncture through any shield I conjure up, and my attack spells can't seem to do any damage either. I hope the boys are doing better than I am..." she said to herself as Sophia came closer to her hiding place.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are..." Sophia called in a sing-song voice that sounded more appropriate for baby-talk. Nikki took a chance and looked up where Orpheus was fighting. She gasped. '_Oh my god, Orpheus! At that rate, Edge is going to kill him! I have to do something, but how? I can't even stop Sophia right now...no I can't think like that._'

'_Then don't think like that and just beat the shit out of her,_' a voice from the back of Nikki's mind told her.

'_What the...great, now I'm turning into Shinji. I've got voices in my head too. Ok I'll bite, but who are you?_' she thought, her inner voice dripping with sarcasm.

'_Very funny Nicole, as for who I am...well, that's a secret,_' the voice replied. Nikki had to mentally smack herself.

'_Should've expected that. Now what makes you think I can beat her?_'

'_I don't think so, I know so...you just need a little push._'

Suddenly, Nikki felt a surge of energy erupt from somewhere within her. '_Unbelievable! I haven't felt this good since...ever!_' she thought to herself.

'_Now for the finishing touch. Go bloody a nose, girl,_' the voice cheered.

Nikki felt her inhibitions dropping as her anger was cut loose from its psychological bindings. The girl mentally steeled herself to keep some form of control over her body as she channeled mana into her hands, feeling stronger than ever. Unfortunately, her rival had taken that time to come around the bulldozer and was charging another spell.

"Found you! Blazing Rain!" she yelled, sending a barrage of fireballs straight at Nikki. Thinking quick, the brunette threw herself back against the machine, watching as the attack zoomed past her. She glared hard at Sophia and charged her on foot, roaring.

The shorter girl was stunned still. Nikki never lost her cool, and yet here she was rushing at her looking for all intents and purposes like an enraged bull. Her thoughts were cut short as Nikki hurtled her shoulder into Sophia's gut before taking a swing and landing a solid punch to her face. The smaller sorceress groaned in pain as Nikki began pummeling her like a woman possessed. Sophia tried to protect her face and managed to get a look at Nikki's eyes through the furious punches. They had dilated like a wild animal's and changed from green to a bright silver. The look of absolute rage on her face terrified Sophia if she was perfectly honest, and no matter how desperately she tried to roll or drag herself away from the other girl, she found it impossible.

Nikki, for her part, was now seeing mostly red at the thought of losing one of those closest to her. She wasn't sure where all this extra strength and aggressiveness was coming from, but she wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth and continued her relentless beating of her opponent. Finally, after blackening both of Sophia's eyes and busting her lip open, Nikki clawed her fingers into the base of the black-haired girl's Devil Gauntlet and wrenched it from her arm.

Sophia screamed in pain as the gauntlet was torn from her body, the connectors that attached it to her arm tearing the skin apart on the way out. Blood began flowing down her arm as she finally pulled away and clambered to her feet. Clutching her wounded limb in agony, Sophia backed away in fright, while Nikki tossed the broken weapon aside and her eyes returned to normal.

"Not sure what that was just now, but if it helped me get that damn thing off your arm, I'm grateful for it. Now let's finish this so I can help Orpheus," Nikki commented as she walked towards her rival calmly, unhooking her chakram again and twirling them like buzzsaws around her wrists.

Shinji was still having trouble harming his opponent, even with his blades and a renewed spirit. Three times already Tak had connected a fire spell to his limbs, leaving painful black burns where he had been struck. His mana levels were rapidly depleting as well and he was having trouble seeing through the haze of pain coursing through his body. "Damn it to hell, I can't keep this up much longer. Sooner or later he's gonna barbeque me..." he muttered to himself.

'_Shinji quick, let me take control. I have an idea, and if this doesn't make him drop his guard then I don't think anything will,_' Yui commanded her son.

'_Sure thing mom. I just hope this works, or we're screwed_,' Shinji responded as he ceded control of his body to the older woman. He felt a slight tug on his mind as he was pulled into its depths. Yui groaned softly as she quickly found herself feeling the pain her child's body was going through. She looked up at Takumi, who was approaching slowly and let out a delicate laugh.

"Oh my, I didn't know you liked to be so rough," Yui cooed in her most sultry voice. Tak froze in midstep, his brain trying to process what he had heard.

"Damn," he finally said. "I must've hit him too hard. He's gone loco in the cabeza!"

"How did you know I love to be dominated like this?" the Ikari matriarch continued, Shinji laughing his ass off at the stupified look on his rival's face. He had to admit that his mother was one devious little witch when she wanted to be.

Takumi backed away a step, still in shock of how his most hated enemy was acting. '_Sweet holy Buddha on a bicycle, he really _has _lost it!_' Seconds later, a trigger went off in the brown-haired boy's mental synapses and he doubled over, laughing hysterically. He turned towards the smokey building and cupped his hands to his mouth.

"Hey Edge, you gotta see this! I think I finally broke Ikari. He seems to think he's a girl now and is hitting on me!" he coughed out, pounding the ground with his fist as tears streamed down his face.

As soon as Tak had turned around, Yui relinquished control back to Shinji, who was smirking widely as he focused what mana he had left into one final spell. '_Dumbass..._' he snickered mentally as his attack neared completion.

Edge growled as he continued waiting for the smokescreen to subside. "It doesn't matter what you do Gundor. I'm still going to find you, and kill you!" he bellowed into the fog.

"Oh shut up. I just needed a chance to catch my breath you whiny little bastard. Now let's do this," Orpheus declared as he emerged from the smoke, an intense, determined look on his face.

"Finally decided to face your death like a man, eh?"

"Well this one _is_ for all the marbles, but I have no intention of dying here. Haven't done everything I wanted to do." Orph replied. '_Including telling Nikki how I feel about her..._' he added thoughtfully. Kneeling into a stance, he held his left arm to the side, his fingers flexed like claws. Grinning, he lunged forth.

Edge shook his head in pity. In his mind, he felt that Orpheus was heading straight into a suicide attack. '_Even_ _with the little energy my Devil Gauntlet still contains, it'll be more than enough to shrug off anything he can throw at me, then I'll end his worthless life,_' he thought to himself as he charged, bringing his sword up high above his head to slice his enemy in half.

Orpheus swung his arm in front of his face, completely bending the knuckle of his ring finger. Then, he channeled spirit energy into his legs and shot off his foot to the side, vanishing in a burst of speed.

The taller fighter stopped short. '_What the...!_' He swung his body around, sensing Orpheus's energy behind him. The Swiss boy was standing ten feet away, flaring a bright aura of energy around his arm that started spinning like a corkscrew. "So you're going to use that technique? Too bad it won't-" He was cut off as he caught a shimmer of light next to his face and something thumped against his shoulder where the Devil Gauntlet connected to his arm, exploding.

"Gah!" Edge screamed as a surge of electricity pulsated through his body. '_That damned fucker set a trap!_' He attemped to draw more energy from the gauntlet to fight the pain he was going through, but once he tried a violent shock ripped through it, cracking the demonic weapon substantially.

"No, there's too much stress on it!" he groaned out, clenching his teeth through the pain. Orpheus, seeing his opening, closed in on the swordsman and reeled his arm back. '_Oh shit..._' Edge thought weakly as his body started to collapse. While in the smoke, Orpheus had rigged a catpault-like trap using some steel wire, a flexible rod, and one of his plasma bombs. Tying the wire to his ring finger, he released the trap on flexing it, launching the bomb towards his back. When he had moved around Edge, he knew that the other young man would instantly seek out his energy. And since a bomb didn't give off any energy signals, Edge wasn't able to detect it until it was too late.

"So much for your weapon. Now it's my turn, shithead. Screwdriver!" Orpheus cried out, drilling his arm right into Edge's ribs and shattering them instantly. The taller boy was blasted towards the ground, where Tak was stunned still to see his own teammate flying right at him.

"Holy-!" Tak couldn't say anything else once Edge crashed into him, sending both fighters to the ground. Shinji laughed heartily and wound up his arm.

"Thanks Orph, now it's my turn. Nova Shatter!" he shouted, throwing his arm forward and sending a massive sphere of white mana at the pair.

Tak groaned and looked up at the speeding bomb of light. "Damn you Ikari!" he exclaimed before they were hit by the blast of energy. Takumi's Devil Gauntlet had been damaged when Edge collided with him, rendering their only defense useless as they flew off straight towards Nikki and Sophia, the latter of which was now covered in cuts from the former's chakram.

The green-eyed girl chuckled and jerked her thumb in their direction, taking a step backwards. "You'd better duc-" she started until Sophia was hit as well by over 400 pounds of human flesh and metal, rendering all of Dragon Squad unconscious. "Never mind," she quipped happily. A soft glow surrounded the three as their bodies slowly faded from view.

Shinji and Orpheus limped over, their energy levels almost completely spent. Nikki hugged them both as the others rushed over, their mouths gaping with the exception of Rei. She was just looking at the three in amazed silence.

"That was incredible you guys!" Hikari exclaimed, covering her hands with her mouth. "I honestly thought that you three were going to die, but you did it! You beat them!"

Touji nodded. "No kidding. You guys definitely don't look too good though. Maybe we should call an ambulence," he suggested.

"Man, that was so cool. You three are gonna tell us just how you did that when you're feeling better," Kensuke added, holding his camera proudly as he had recorded the entire battle.

Rei put her arms around Shinji to steady him and showed him a small smile. "That was very brave of you to fight them off Ikari-kun. Is there anything I can do for you to make the pain subside?" she asked.

Shinji grinned and rubbed his chin. "Here's an idea: call a medic. I need some morphine." The teens laughed loudly at the joke, their spirits lifted greatly by the victory.

Orpheus wobbled noticably under Nikki and gave the others a blank look. "I don't know about you guys, but I think this is the part where we fall down." With that, Phoenix Squad collapsed in a heap, out cold.

The non-fighters sweatdropped as Rei pulled out her cell and dialed Misato's number. Half an hour later, Touji and Kensuke could be seen physically restraining the purple-haired captain from hunting down every member of Section-2 and blowing their balls off, considering they had been mysteriously absent through the whole debacle.

**(Several blocks away)  
**Music blared, bongs were passed, and chaos reigned supreme as a rave party was in full swing in the RV-sized Section-2 surveilliance van, where every agent was pretty much blitzed beyond any legal or rational limit. A younger agent made his way over to the supervisor on duty and poked him in the shoulder. "Sir, wasn't there something we were supposed to be doing?" he asked.

The supervisor looked him strangely, his eyes clouded over. "Son, I'm more stoned than Mt. Fuji. Even if there was something we should be doing, I couldn't give a rat's ass right now!" he yelled, chugging his beer like it was the cure for cancer. The younger agent simply shrugged and got back to dancing.

**(H-block Housing District)  
**Dragon Squad knelt in front of a dark cloaked figure inside their old apartment building, their bodies still battered from their battle with Shinji and the others. "I honestly am questioning why I chose you three imbeciles to assist me with this plan. Even with the Devil Gauntlets, which I painstakingly crafter just for this assignment...YOU LOST!" he roared, causing the three teens to shrink back. The figure sighed and sat down on a chair.

"Perhaps I should've made those things more durable. As powerful as they were, the gauntlets were merely an offensive enhancer and weren't meant to take such a beating," he mumbled in a low voice. Tak and the others stayed silent, knowing better than to risk provoking their leader's wrath at this point.

He turned back and held up a finger. "I am quite disappointed with the three of you. This was supposed to be a quick 'get in, get out' mission. Yet you have failed miserably. You will stay here and continue to train yourselves as you watch Commander Ikari, while I think of our next move. I'm giving you two more chances to finish Phoenix Squad, and heed this: time your chances perfectly, becuase should you fail both times, do NOT bother coming back. Otherwise, I'll kill you myself."

Takumi nodded and stood up. "We understand boss. We won't let them get the best of us next time," he assented. Edge and Sophia merely watched with anticipation.

"See that you don't," the man said ominously as he vanished in an instant.

Tak growled and punched the wall. "Damn them! Even with B-class power, they still beat us!" Edge nursed his wounded ribs and laid down gently on his cot. He needed rest and wanted to think about what went wrong during the fight.

Sophia sighed and laid back as well. She knew something like this would happen, but her teammates were too stubborn and arrogant for their own good. Still, she was curious about the power Nikki had used against her during their fight. '_Hopefully it was a fluke. I'm not sure I would survive another encounter with that kind of strength..._'

* * *

**Hmmm, the plot thickens. Who is Dragon Squad's mysterious leader, and why is he so interested in Gendo? What makes Phoenix Squad so dangerous to his plans, and what exactly are these plans? And what about the voice in Nikki's mind...who is it, and what is it's purpose? Only I know for now, so ha ha ha! Chapter 4 is now officially wrapped up, and I must say I really liked how this one turned out.**

**Now it's time for the vote standings.**

**Rei: 14**

**Misato: 13**

**Sophia: 8**

**Hikari:7**

**Asuka: 5**

**Maya: 2**

**New O/C: 2**

**As you can see, Rei and Misato are pulling away from the pack and our favorite lavender-haired goddess is catching up to the half-Angel blunette, but Sophia is keeping a close tail on them. Asuka still doesn't have much of a following, but that could change. We still have a couple more chapters left before the polls close.**

**Anyway, I'm happy to see some more reviews, though many of my votes are coming from PMs. I'd love to see more reviews per chapter than there have been so far. Invite your buddies to read the story and make comments if they're interested. Any kind of comment would be appreciated, just so I know how I'm doing.**

**Next time on The Angel Wars, Chapter 5: Shamshel Appears! The Seismic Impulse.**

**Until our next meeting, this is BeastLord Zwieg signing off. So long everybody and thanks for reading!**


	5. Shamshel Appears! The Seismic Impulse

**Disclaimer: I don't own Evangelion. All I own are the clothes on my back, a couple books, a rubber duck, and my Original Characters. Hideki Onno and Gainax own Eva.**

_**Author Notes and Review Answers:**_

**1) Thanks for all the reviews so far, and keep them coming. I love the feedback you guys are giving me, as it helps me figure out what holes in my writing need to be plugged up.**

**2) I will be leaving for Air Force Basic Training on Dec 29, so this fic and any others I may start will be put on temporary hold until I am done with that and able to get back to a computer.**

**3) My new daughter has been deemed perfectly healthy and is home keeping me up at night like babies usually do.**

**dragon-cloud16: Shinji really does know more than wind-based spells. He'll actually create a new one in this chapter that isn't wind-aligned, so I hope you like how it turns out in the Angel fight. And interesting comparison with Ichigo's hollow, but that isn't quite what Nikki's inner voice is. You'll find out much later in the fic, but that voice is pretty important to the story, so keep your eyes out. Thanks for the feedback and I hope you continue enjoying the fic.**

**bob999999999: I'll try not to make things too complicated, but I'm going for a fairly deep plot with this story. Hopefully, I don't confuse you or anyone else too much. Just yell at me if you need something explained.**

**LoPe21: Thank you very much, and I always enjoy reading your reviews. You're comments have been giving me a lot of insight. As for Yui, that's just how she is. Just cause she's a super genius doesn't mean she can't be a child at heart sometimes. I actually have what they told me is an above average IQ, yet I'm a dirty practical joker. And I was planning on explaining why Rei is coming out in this chapter. I wanted to do it in Chapter 4, but couldn't find room for it, since it involves Ritsuko and Gendo talking at NERV. The major romantic foundations for Shinji are gonna be laid in this chapter and the next two so once Chapter 8 rolls around and the polls have been finalized, I'll be ready to veer off towards the winner. Again, thanks a lot for your comments and have fun reading!**

**RDF-73: Love the comments, and thanks for your praise. Orpheus is a bit of a scientist and engineer for the team so he's used to observing things. Keep sending more great comments.**

**Finally, we've got all that taken care of. Let's get back to the juicy stuff. Onward and upward!**

* * *

NGE Magic Files, Book 1: The Angel Wars  
By BeastLord Zwieg

Chapter 5: Shamshel Appears! The Seismic Impulse

Misato Katsuragi was NOT a happy camper, for more than one reason. During the last month, almost everything she knew had been thrown out the window and replaced with a reality that sounded like it was more at home in a fiction story. First off, about a week before the attack of the Third Angel, she had gone to pick up Rei for her activation test. On walking in, she noticed the young girl taking some medication. Curious, she inspected the label as Rei walked to her car and wrote down the medication's name. A little Internet searching later, and the beautiful captain was downright furious. What Rei had been prescribed, by none other than Ritsuko Akagi, her best friend and former college roommate, was a powerful emotional suppressant. Misato would not stand for that, as while her military training encouraged controlling your emotions during combat situations, using drugs to suck the life and emotion from a person was just plain disgusting. So, being the level-headed woman she is, she kicked down the door to Ritsuko's office and pointed her handgun right at the other woman's skull before demanding that Rei be taken off the medicine.

The good doctor had been rather agreeable to those demands, though for her own reasons rather than the threat of a bullet suppository to her brain. During one of her recent 'personal meetings' with Gendo, the man had told her in no uncertain terms that he only cared for his plans and not for her. That understandably pissed the bottle blonde off to no end. Misato's little tirade just gave her the perfect excuse for an idea to screw around with Gendo's precious scenario: take Rei off her meds and watch the sparks fly as the girl came into her emotions. With any luck, she would betray the bearded old bastard before long.

Then there were the events of the Angel battle itself. Shinji Ikari, the Third Child, had brought with him to Tokyo-3 a pair of friends willing to take a bullet for him in an instant and a skill set that sounded like something straight out of an anime. Magic. The bloody Third Child and his friends were bloody sorcerers and alchemists. Shinji himself was a wind magic specialist and could be intimidating when he was pissed and holding his twin daggers. Orpheus was the only non-sorcerer of the three but more than made up for it with his quick mind and incredible martial arts skills. The boy had uprighted a two ton car by himself with his bare hands! Nikki was the group's medic and could probably win a dart championship with her throwing accuracy. Together the trio had taken NERV by storm, especially when Shinji had pulverized the Angel with minimal effort using Eva Unit-01.

Now she was stuck watching her new charge and his friends closely as they recovered from a vicous battle against their rivals from the Ru-Jukas Academy of Magic and Alchemy. Nikki was the only one in relatively decent condition after the fight, suffering only from a bout of exhaustion, but the boys on the other hand had to be forcibly bed-ridden as Nikki and Ritsuko tried their best to fix them. Their bodies had taken quite a pounding and Orpheus needed to have his right arm stitched back together. From what Misato had seen, it looked as if somebody had tried to gut him when he instead used his arm as a sacrificial lamb. Luckily, most of their injuries were healed up and they were walking around without problems. Thanks to Nikki's healing magic, they only missed five days of school rather than the two weeks she had been expecting. The trio's new friends Hikari Horaki, Touji Suzuhara, and Kensuke Aida also came to visit them every day. Even Rei came by occasionally when she wasn't busy with NERV duties.

As for Misato, she was just grateful the three children had survived the ordeal. She still wanted to have Section-2 overhauled and its current members put in front of a firing squad for their negligence during the fight, but Gendo had rejected that immediately.

"So how was your shopping trip?" the older woman asked as Nikki walked through the door with several bags under her arms.

The brunette smiled and set the bags down, pulling out an assortment of clothes. "It was a blast! Kodama really knows how to dress for all occasions. She oughta be a fashion designer to be honest. What do you think?" she replied, pulling out a bottle green sleeveless v-neck dress and holding it up to her body.

Misato rubbed her chin and gave the girl a thumbs up. "Looks perfect on you Nikki. I think it brings out your eyes. I bet Orpheus would love it," she said. Nikki blushed scarlet at the mention of the tall martial artist.

"So you figured it out huh?"

Misato giggled. "Nicole Hildebrandt, the only reason I bet Orpheus hasn't realized it yet is because he's too busy wrestling with his own feelings. Either that, or he's just plain thick..."

Both women had a laugh at that. Shinji and Orpheus had gone out to buy groceries, saying in no uncertain terms that they needed to get out of the house more often or they would go batty. That, and they didn't want to suffer eating anymore of Misato's special instant curry.

Nikki sighed and sat down next to the woman who had officially placed herself as the trio's guardian. "Do you really think he likes me though Misato? I've tried giving him subtle hints and everything, but he's so damn noble that every time I want him to look he blushes and takes off. He may be brave when dealing with a life or death situation, but he has more honor than the Knights of the Round Table..."

Misato smirked. "Then screw subtlety and go for a more..._direct_ approach," she advised with a mischeivious tone in her voice.

The younger girl gulped audibly. "I'm almost afraid to ask what you mean by a direct approach."

The purple-haired military officer pulled Nikki closer and whispered a few words in her ear. The girl blushed like a cherry tomato immediately and looked at Misato in shock. "I'm not sure I could do that. What if...he hates me for it?"

"Nikki, shut up and do it. It isn't like I told you to do something horrible. Besides, if you want to be with him then you better get your practice in now."

"But I've never done this before. I don't want to screw anything up."

Misato groaned and rubbed her temple in frustration. '_No wonder these two haven't gotten together yet_,' she thought. '_They're so afraid of mucking it up that they won't give it a shot._'

"Tell you what Nikki. Just give it a try and if Orpheus can't stand you afterwards, I'll let you hurt me in any way you want. Hell, I'll even let you shoot me with my own gun if this doesn't work," she offered to the now visibly gaping girl.

Nikki looked at her feet and wringed her hands nervously. '_Hmm I guess it's worth a try. I just hope it works._'

"Alright, I'll do it," she finally answered after five minutes of knocking the idea around in her head.

Misato grinned. "Perfect. You can do it as soon as he walks in the door. No time like the present after all."

The sorceress's eyes bulged. "What?! You can't be serious Misato. Shinji's gonna be right next to him. I can't do it with everyone watching!" she yelled. As if called there by divine means, the door opened just at that time and the boys in question walked in. Misato looked at her charge expectantly and waved her hand in a 'Go on' motion. The look she was giving the younger girl that clearly said '_Do it or I'll make you_'may have also been a hint.

Nikki gulped again and got up. Shinji looked up slightly as he finished removing his shoes. "Hey Nikki what's up? Did you enjoy your day out today?" he asked, not really noticing the anxious look on her face.

When he didn't get a response, Shinji took on a more serious glance. "You okay Nikki?" Orpheus looked up as well and gave her a concerned gaze.

Of all the reactions either boy could have expected, what actually happened was probably near the bottom of their lists. Nikki strolled face-to-face with Orpheus, a confident look on her face that hid her true anxiety. Then, without warning, she wrapped an hand around Orpheus's head and pulled him into a deep kiss.

Shinji's jaw dropped in a split nanosecond. Inside his mind, Yui had instantly gone from mother hen to cheerleader. '_Woohoo! You go girl!_' she screamed. Her son could actually feel her jumping around in his head waving what he could only imagine were pom-poms. Orpheus for his part was too stunned to react in any way, shape, or form. After kissing him for a full minute, Nikki pulled away. Cocking her head to the side, she flashed him a cute smile and ran into one of the spare bedrooms, blushing the whole way.

Orpheus looked over at Shinji and blinked. "What exactly just happened?" he asked.

Shinji shook his head and cocked an eyebrow at Misato, who was trying to stifle her giggles on the couch. "I'm pretty sure I don't have to tell you, Orph. But I am going to ask you this: what do you plan to do about it?"

The martial artist scratched his head and sighed wistfully. "I don't-"

Shinji smacked him in the back of the head before he could finish. "Tell me you don't know and I _will_ set your ass on fire. Literally. Now get in there and do what your heart tells you. One thing Renaldo always told me to do was listen to my heart. Now it's time for you to take his advice too," he ordered.

Orpheus stood still for a moment, thinking about what he was just told. Eventually, he nodded and made his way down the hall to the spare bedroom where Nikki had set up her own personal workshop. Gathering his resolve, he knocked twice on the door. A soft reply of "Come in" encouraged him as he slowly opened the door.

Nikki glanced up at Orpheus from her place on the small bed with a small smile on her lips and her cheeks still flushed. He sat down next to her and smiled back sheepishly. "So, uh..." he began, but Nikki placed a finger to his lips.

"Orpheus Rainier Gundor...just shut up and kiss me." With a courage he never felt in battle, the young man simply leaned in and pressed his lips to hers.

Shinji, peeking through the door to check on them, turned away and walked back into the den to tell Misato the good news. '_It's about damn time..._'

**(NERV HQ: Commander's Office)  
**Gendo Ikari was a powerful man. In fact, one could make a statement that he was the most powerful person in Japan in terms of his influence and mental prowess. It was that strength that had initially attracted the lovely Ritsuko Akagi to him in the first place. However, now she simply viewed him as a selfish, disgusting excuse for a human who only cared for himself.

"Dr. Akagi, how are things progressing with the Third Child's training?" Gendo asked the bottle blonde scientist as she stood in front of him and Sub-Commander Fuyutsuki to give her weekly report.

"Well so far, Pilot Ikari has raised his sync ratio consistently since his arrival. Where it was 71 percent in his first sortie, he has risen it to a solid 80 percent. His weapons training is going better than expected as well. Unfortunately, he _has _expressed some discomfort with the use of the pallet rifles. My best guess is that he isn't used to wielding a gun," she explained in a professional manner.

Gendo crossed his hands in front of his face. "I see. On another issue, is there anything that may explain his unique...abilities that I've heard rumors of?"

"No, sir. He still won't tell me anything during the briefings, and Captain Katsuragi has said that she couldn't get anything out of him either."

The bearded man growled. "Then try harder. We must learn as much as we can about these skills of his so that we can use them to our advantage. Perhaps we should administer a medication similar to Rei's and see if that loosens his tongue. As for Rei, has her prescription been re-filled?"

Ritsuko nodded. "I just gave her a new bottle yesterday. I went ahead and upped the dosage as it appeared she was becoming a little emotional, plus I found her reading a romance novel of all things."

"Good. I will not let anything interfere with the scenario, and Rei must be kept completely under thumb. You are dismissed Dr. Akagi."

Nodding to her now former lover, Ritsuko turned and walked out the door. As she returned to her office, she couldn't help but smile to herself. Ironically, since Gendo expected his subordinates to always tell the truth on threat of death, it made it even easier to lie right to his face, so long as you acted cool and told him exactly what he wanted to hear. After learning of what his father had been doing to Rei, Shinji promised Ritsuko some rudimentary knowledge of his magic and alchemy abilities so long as the head of Project E kept the old buzzard off his back. Earning valuable knowledge while undermining Gendo Ikari at the same time? To Ritsuko, it was a win-win situation.

**(The next day: Tokyo-3 Municipal Junior High)  
**"So Orph finally asked her out huh?" Touji asked.

Shinji nodded and leaned his head back. P.E. was one of his favorite classes, as he usually had time to relax after completing the day's exercises. Currently, he was sitting next to Touji and Kensuke by the bleachers while the latter two were watching the girls' swimming class overhead. "Yup, and I for one am glad. Those two were just tap dancing around each other for years, and it was starting to drive me nuts," he said happily. Feeling somebody's eyes on him, the young sorcerer looked up and saw Rei gazing at him intently.

"Well, well, well...who're you ogling up there Ikari?" Touji teased, bumping his elbow into Shinji's ribs.

Kensuke took a closer look. "Looks like he's checking Rei out."

Shinji turned his eyes towards to two boys and grinned evilly. "You guys do remember that I could quite literally set your hair alight at any given moment, correct?" he warned. The two backed off, holding their hands up in defeat.

"Okay we surrender! I don't think the barbeque look would be all that great on me," Touji said. Suddenly, the three heard footsteps and saw that Orpheus was coming back from his extra laps. Shinji always admired Orpheus for his determination in making himself stronger. Then again, now that he and Nikki were dating, he felt that he had a real reason to become stronger.

"Enjoy yourself Orph?" Shinji asked as the sweating boy sat down and took a swig of water from his bottle.

"Yeah. Thanks to these new weights you and Dr. Akagi made for me, I feel like my training is much more effective," he answered. He turned his head upwards and saw Nikki staring down at him with a smile on her face. Orpheus blushed and waved to the brunette, who waved back enthusiastically while Hikari laughed next to her.

"Hey Shinji," Orpheus continued. "What did you and Misato talk about while Nikki and I were um...busy?"

Touji snickered at the wording his friend used. "Dude just admit that you two were making out like it was the last thing you were allowed to do."

Shinji smiled. "Not much. Misato mentioned that I have another sync test after school, so maybe we can hit the arcade after I'm done."

Suddenly, an alarm blared throughout the city. A quick ring told Shinji that his cell phone needed answering. He flipped it open. "This is Shinji...oh hey Misato is something wrong? What? Ok we'll be right there!" He tucked his phone into his pocket and got up, a serious look on his face.

"Looks like duty calls guys," he explained. "We'll have to take a rain check on the arcade. Orph, grab your girlfriend and let's vamoose. Misato says that another Angel has been spotted heading this way. Oh and Ken...?"

"Yeah Shinji?" the boy asked.

"I know you probably really wanna see the battle, but I'm warning you to stay in the shelter and not do anything stupid. Do something stupid, and I promise I'll shove a size 20 boot up your ass. From 50 meters away. Got it?" Shinji warned.

The military otaku started sweating bullets. "I got it."

Orpheus chuckled and got up, beckoning Nikki down with a wave of his hand as everyone else retreated to the safety of the shelters. Soon the three were changed and in the back of a Section-2 sedan as they sped towards NERV.

Upon reaching HQ, Shinji took off towards the locker rooms to change into the plug suit Ritsuko had designed for him while Orpheus and Nikki went straight to Central Dogma, where Misato was waiting for them.

"What's the situation Misato?" Orpheus asked as the pair walked calmly through the doors. Looking up, he noticed that Commander Ikari was nowhere to be seen. '_Old fart's probably hiding under his desk..._' he thought.

"So far the Angel hasn't attacked anything and is advancing slowly, but we're sending Shinji up in Unit-01 to head it off before it does any major damage," the young captain replied.

"Misato," Shinji called through the audio com link. "Unit-01 is ready for launch. What's the plan when I get topside?"

Ritsuko was the one who answered him. "Shinji, we're sending you to Access Point 3-A where you'll retrieve a pallet rifle from a nearby weapon cell and engage the Angel from long distance. Any questions?"

Shinji groaned as the Eva was hooked to the launch pad. "Yeah I got a couple. If you want me to attack from long distance, why not just let me toss a fireball at it or something? It worked well enough the last time. And second, to do damage with a rifle, don't I need to neutrilize this thing's AT Field?"

Ritsuko looked insulted at the second question. "That's correct, though I fail to see your point."

"Dr. Akagi, I say this with as much respect as I can possibly muster: Your plan is doomed to fail. To neutrilize the AT Field, I need to be in close quarters, close enough in fact to render the rifle practically useless. How can I do both at the same time, unless you want me to try smashing this monster's head in with the butt of the rifle?"

Ritsuko stood stock still, her mind trying to process how easily Shinji had disassembled her plan. Misato looked at her friend with a satisfied smirk gracing her features. "I have to admit that Shinji brings up a very valid point, Rits. I say we just let him wing it like he did last time. If it isn't broke, why fix it?"

Shinji laughed and thanked Misato for her approval. Soon, Unit-01 arrived on the surface and the door to the hatch opened, sending the Third Child face-to-face with Shamshel, the Fourth Angel.

Shinji blinked. "Um...guys? Do these Angels get progressively uglier or is it just me?" he asked. Yui felt the same way her son looked. '_As a mother, I would have to rate this one an M for Mature. What half-assed committee drew up the plans for THAT thing? It looks like a cross between a centipede and a dildo..._'

Ritsuko placed her chin on her fist as she analyzed the Angel's appearance. "Personally, it reminds me of one of Misato's old toys from college," she concluded. The purple-haired woman blanched and pulled the doctor into a vicious headlock as the bridge technicians all blushed at the same time.

"Misato you can get kinky with Doc Akagi later, but we've got an Angel to kill right now," Shinji jibed as he charged a spell. Shamshel raised itself up so that its face was directly across from Unit-01's.

"Let's see how you like this one ugly. Flare Arrow!" the pilot exclaimed, pitching a mini barrage of fiery bolts at the Angel. Shinji was shocked, however, to see his spell bounce right off the AT Field. Even Orpheus and Nikki were dumbstruck.

"Uh oh...looks like they've adapted to our spells," Nikki guessed as the Angel lashed out with a pair of energy whips. Shinji threw himself backwards to avoid the attack but was picked up by the leg and tossed clear across the city.

"Damn you God! This is why I'm killing your Angels!" Shinji screamed as Unit-01 landed head first in the ground, looking like a deformed purple carrot.

Orpheus looked behind him at the bridge crew. "I think...he's pissed."

Shinji pulled his Eva's head from the ground and glared at the incoming celestial being. "Ok, so magic won't work this time unless I blast it point blank. Damn, that's gonna be tough to do as long as those whips can keep me at bay." The pilot racked his brain for a strategy.

'_Shinji, you mentioned the other day that it's possible for you to create new spells. Why not try making a new close range one using the Prog knife as a focus like your Storm Blades?_' Yui suggested.

The Third Child frowned noticably. "It's a sound plan mom, but first we need to get past those whips. And if even one thing goes wrong, then we'll be blown straight to hell," he said softly. As he strategized, Shamshel advanced quickly and sent another whip lash at its opponent. Shinji growled and dove behind a building for protection. Too bad that the whips sliced right through the steel as if it wasn't even there.

"Captain Katsuragi, the umbilical cable has been cut. Pilot Ikari has only five minutes of battery power remaining!" Maya Ibuki exclaimed as Shinji dragged himself to his feet again, clutching his shoulder.

"Damn it, those things can cut through anything. How am I supposed to get close?" he asked himself in desperation. Even Yui was stymied by how best to attack the Angel.

Orpheus snapped his fingers. "If you can't neutrilize those whips, Shinji, then just plow through them!" he yelled. Everyone looked at the martial artist like he was nuts.

"Orpheus are you crazy?" Misato asked him loudly. "He'll get skewered!"

Shinji smirked to himself as he realized what his best friend was planning, even as he kept being thrown through skyscrapers like a toy doll. "Actually, it seems like the only logical option left Misato, considering my predicament. I must say that I'm getting motion sickness up here."

"Hell no! I am NOT losing you to some psychotic plan Shinji Ikari. How do you plan to withstand that thing's attacks?" she exclaimed, her eyes looking into Shinji's over the visual feed pleadingly.

Nikki put a calming hand on the older woman's shoulder. "He can increase the hardness of the Eva's armor and turn himself into a walking tank. Was that your plan Orpheus?"

"Bingo," he answered with a smirk.

Shinji nodded and knelt into a stance, engaging the prog knife. Glancing at the monitor, he noticed that the battery had less than two minutes of power left. "Armadillo Shell!" he cried, placing a hand on Unit-01's chest armor and sending several pulses of mana through the outer layer of metal. A soft brown glow encompassed the hulking mech as Shinji stared down the Angel.

"Here goes nothing," he said, steeling himself as he positioned the knife in both hands, using his left hand to cup the bottom of the handle. Shamshel lashed out, but Shinji was ready this time. The timer hit one minute just as he ducked underneath the weapons and charged the Angel.

The entry plug turned blood red from the warning lights, and Shinji roared defiantly as he shoulder charged the creature. Smashing both feet deep into the ground for leverage, he thrusted his weapon upwards, digging the blade halfway into the core with sparks flying everywhere. Shinji felt a painful stab near his spine as his enemy brought the whips back and pierced his barrier spell. A determined look in his eyes, the young man drained mana from the ground itself through the Eva's feet.

"I hope to whatever deity is out there that this works," he prayed. He built up a massive concentration of earth mana in the torso of Unit-01, slowly focusing it into his hands. The timer had reached 10 seconds and the entire NERV crew was watching anxiously.

"Here goes nothing. Seismic Impulse!" Shinji screamed, forcing every ounce of mana he had gathered through the prog knife and right into the core. As the energy reached the tip of the blade, Shinji released his hold on it, letting it expand like a shotgun blast. The resulting shockwave rippled through the core, which had begun to crack even more severely, into the rest of Shamshel's body. Parts of the Angel's body were torn open by the sheer amount of energy being shoved into it and blood erupted like magma from the wounds.

Just as the timer reached five seconds, the core exploded inward, the shrapnel damaging the body even more as it collapsed to the ground in a bloody mass of torn flesh. Shinji felt a wave of relief flood him as the whips evaporated from his back. The entry plug immediately went dark and the young pilot leaned his head back happily now that both the Angel and Unit-01 had gone silent.

'_Renaldo was right. Draining mana from the environment _is_ exhausting, especially when using the feet as a contact point...and using the Eva just makes it worse,_' he thought as Misato gave the orders to have Shinji retreived and brought straight to NERV Medical for a check-up.

Shinji was quickly pulled from the entry plug and set on a wheelchair when his legs gave out from under him as he tried to stand. Orpheus slapped his friend on the back once he was rolled into the hospital. "Only you could pull off something as crazy as this Shinji. Way to go," he praised.

Misato reached in and pulled Shinji into a bone-crushing hug. "You crazy nut, don't you ever do anything that reckless again! You're my friend Shinji, and I don't want to see you get killed."

Nikki giggled and tried to pry the older woman off of him. "You can suffocate him later Misato, but he's probably worn out right now and needs to rest some," she said soothingly.

Misato sighed and put a hand to her forehead. "Damn, I need a beer." Suddenly, she felt a hand clench her free one and she looked down to see Shinji leveling a penetrating gaze through her eyes.

"Misato, I'm asking you this as a friend: try to cut back on your drinking okay? To be perfectly honest we think you've got enough liquor in that apartment of yours to kill a rhino. Just do us this one favor and take it easy, cause Orph, Nikki, and I have seen what alcohol can do to a person and it isn't pretty at all," he said.

The woman gasped as she saw a flash of hurt in Shinji's eyes. '_I must be going out of my mind if I'm seriously considering this, but then again...no, they're right. I really have let myself go since Kaji and I split..._' she thought quietly as Shinji was led to the Medical Ward with his teammates at his side. Misato was left alone in the cage, thinking about what she had been asked to do.

**(In the Commander's Office)  
**Kozo Fuyutsuki was ready to put in for a much-needed vacation. The elderly man was also pretty sure that crap like this wasn't in his job description. Currently, he was trying to convince NERV's Supreme Commander to come out from under his desk, where he was hiding with a horrified look on his face.

"I'm getting way too old for this shit. Gendo...I'm not sure what you're doing, but you really need to get out from under there. Pilot Ikari has just successfully defeated the Fourth," he said.

The Bastard King simply shook his head an quivered underneath the large piece of furniture. "I don't care, and Sensei you need to hide too. Please don't let those scary elf people eat my socks!" he screamed, curling into a ball and sucking on his thumb childishly.

Kozo slapped a hand to his face. "God damn it, he must've gotten into the bad weed again..."

* * *

**Well that takes care of Chapter 5. Sorry if it isn't up to par with what everyone was expecting, but I've been up to my ears in taking care of the new baby, so I'm just plain worn out. Just as a warning, the next chapter is going to be almost pure humor. In fact, I've gone ahead and picked out a theme song just for this coming chapter. You'll just have to wait and see what the theme will be, but I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Okay then, now for the current ship standings:**

**Misato: 17**

**Rei: 16**

**Sophia: 10**

**Hikari: 8**

**Asuka: 5**

**Maya: 2**

**New O/C: 2**

**Mana: 1**

**Amazingly, our favorite purple-haired beauty has overtaken Rei in the polls, though it's still a close race. The two have begun to pull away from Sophia and will likely leave her in the dust for the last two chapters of voting. Still, it should be interesting to see how the voting turns out.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed for this chapter and thanks for all the congratulations I received about my daughter. She's starting to sleep a little better and isn't waking up as much during the night. Hopefully it just keeps getting better.**

**Next time on The Angel Wars, Chapter 6: Search the City! The Great Pen-Pen Chase.**

**This is BeastLord Zwieg, signing off until the next chapter. Have fun reading everybody!**


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